September 29, 2015

29/09/2015: SERBIA – SEEMO PROTESTS AGAINST MEDIA OPPRESSION IN SERBIA

Vienna, 29/09/2015

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is alarmed by the treatment of media workers in Serbia by members of state authorities.

On 24 September, journalists from the web portal Istinomer.rs conducted an interview with activist Dobrica Veselinovic, a member of the “Ne davimo Beograd” (Let’s not drown Belgrade) campaign. The campaign is a response to the Belgrade Waterfront project.

Dobrica Veselinovic and members of Istinomer.rs were at the location of the future construction site when they were approached by police officials, who demanded that they leave the premises. When the journalists and activist refused to leave the public space, verbal and physical assaults ensued. Following the confrontation, police officers checked the identifications of the journalists and activist, charging them with obstruction of an officer while performing official duties.

SEEMO is a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East and Central Europe. SEEMO’s press freedom work is supported by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) project, as part of a grant by the European Commission.