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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Meeting of Working Group for Security and Protection of Journalists held

Belgrade, 27 May 2022

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic met today with members of the Working Group for Security and Protection of Journalists.

The officials discussed current cases of attacks and threats against media representatives, as well as activities to improve the overall position of journalists and criminal-legal protection of journalists.

The working group strongly condemns the insults and threats addressed to the editor-in-chief of Insider, Brankica Stankovic, during the recent basketball match Partizan-Buducnost.

Brnabic said that the threats against journalist Brankica Stankovic are absolutely inadmissible, while Veran Matic informed those present that he had filed a report on behalf of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists with the First Basic Public Prosecutor's Office against unidentified persons for endangering the safety of journalist Stankovic.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Branko Stamenkovic informed the members of the Working Group that since the beginning of this year, 26 criminal charges have been filed in connection with events committed to the detriment of journalists, two in January, five in February, six in March and thirteen in April.

Stamenkovic said that the prosecution carefully analyses each report and acts on it, and that the increase in threats sent over the Internet, i.e., social networks, is especially noticeable.

Thus, out of thirteen cases in April, as many as 11 were threats sent through social networks.

Stamenkovic said that in the period from 1 January 2016 to 30 April 2022, there were a total of 227 cases in which it was assessed that there was a reasonable suspicion that a crime was committed to the detriment of the safety of journalists. In 23 percent of the cases, some form of criminal sanction has been imposed or the prosecution has been transferred to a foreign state.