The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) strongly condemns the offensive remarks made on 16 June 2023 by the City Committee of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) in Vranje, targeting the editorial team of the local news portal Infovranjske (https://infovranjske.rs/)
On the official SNS Webpage (https://vranje.sns.org.rs/novosti/saopstenja/saopstenje-za-javnost-81) it is written: The moral and patriotic principles of the politics of the Serbian Progressive Party oblige us as a City Committee to announce ourselves after the local portal Info-Vranjska officially became the newsletter of the Šiptar terrorists who are arresting Serbs in the north of Kosovo and Metohija.
The statement issued by the SNS City Committee labels also Infovranjske as an “accomplice of a terrorist organization.”
Such baseless accusations undermine press freedom and the important role journalists play in informing the public. SEEMO emphasizes the need for respectful and constructive dialogue between political parties and the media, as it is crucial for a functioning democracy. Political parties must refrain from using inflammatory language that can harm the reputation of journalists and media outlets. SEEMO urges all political parties in Serbia to respect the role of journalists and media in democratic societies. SEEMO also condemns that in the announcement were used the words “Šiptar” and “terrorists”.
Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is the ruling political party of Serbia since 2012
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