Serb reporter harassed in Kosovo

The Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) has condemned the Kosovo police (KPS) for detaining Nikola Stolic, a journalist and owner of Klokot Radio. The radio station is broadcasting in Kosovo and Metohija. Serb reporter harassed in Kosovo The association issued a statement on Monday calling on the EU mission, EULEX, to protect journalists in the province. Domestic media reported that KPS members stopped Stolic's car on Friday, and subsequently held him detained for more than three hours. Stolic said afterwards that he was mistreated because his car had license plates issued by Serbia. "Our colleague Nikola Stolic was harassed for no reason, and with no explanation," said the UNS statement, adding that members of the "Rosa special unit" blocked his vehicle in an inappropriate and humiliating manner, after which the reporter was searched and taken to a police station in the town of Urosevac. The reason given afterwards was that Stolic was "under suspicion of being in possession of a forged traffic license". The Association of Journalists of Kosovo and Metohija said that in the past few months, there had been "an escalation of attacks, various expressions of intolerance and arrogant behavior by representatives of the Kosovo institutions toward journalists reporting in Serbian". "In some regions of Kosovo police have taken to systematically mistreating media workers, seeing them as enemies and intruders in their territory," said this organization, and noted that nobody was called to answer thus far for harassment cases directed against Serb, but also ethnic Albanian reporters. The Association of Journalists of Serbia, meanwhile, is asking EULEX to urgently intervene and launch an investigation into the Stolic case. "The freedom of the media and work of their representatives are being drastically jeopardized, which creates an atmosphere of fear, and significantly restricts the movement of journalists, preventing them from doing their jobs," the statement concludes.

Serb reporter harassed in Kosovo

The association issued a statement on Monday calling on the EU mission, EULEX, to protect journalists in the province.

Domestic media reported that KPS members stopped Stolić's car on Friday, and subsequently held him detained for more than three hours.

Stolić said afterwards that he was mistreated because his car had license plates issued by Serbia.

"Our colleague Nikola Stolić was harassed for no reason, and with no explanation," said the UNS statement, adding that members of the "Rosa special unit" blocked his vehicle in an inappropriate and humiliating manner, after which the reporter was searched and taken to a police station in the town of Uroševac.

The reason given afterwards was that Stolić was "under suspicion of being in possession of a forged traffic license".

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo and Metohija said that in the past few months, there had been "an escalation of attacks, various expressions of intolerance and arrogant behavior by representatives of the Kosovo institutions toward journalists reporting in Serbian".

"In some regions of Kosovo police have taken to systematically mistreating media workers, seeing them as enemies and intruders in their territory," said this organization, and noted that nobody was called to answer thus far for harassment cases directed against Serb, but also ethnic Albanian reporters.

The Association of Journalists of Serbia, meanwhile, is asking EULEX to urgently intervene and launch an investigation into the Stolić case.

"The freedom of the media and work of their representatives are being drastically jeopardized, which creates an atmosphere of fear, and significantly restricts the movement of journalists, preventing them from doing their jobs," the statement concludes.