Prosecution requests probe into attack on reporters

The First Municipal Prosecution in Belgrade has requested the court to launch an investigation into attack on Studio B TV reporters. The prosecution also requested that Dejan Zitic, who attacked the journalists, be remanded in custody. Prosecution requests probe into attack on reporters Zitic is charged with endangering of safety and violent behavior, Public State Prosecution Spokesman Tomo Zoric has said. The envisaged penalty for endangering of safety is one to eight years in prison and six months to five years for violent behavior. “Bearing in mind that these were journalists who were performing their regular duties, the prosecution will certainly request maximum sentences within the scope envisaged by the law,” Zoric pointed out. “All attacks deserve condemnation” “Every attack on journalists and news crews deserves to be condemned,” Studio B Director Aleksandar Timofejev has said, commenting on the attack that took place on Wednesday afternoon in Belgrade. According to Studio B, the police quickly arrived to the scene and arrested the assailant who confessed he had attacked the news crew. “He was remanded in custody for 48 hours on suspicion that he committed a criminal act of violent behavior and a complaint for violation of public peace and order has been filed against him,” Timofejev told B92. “You just don’t know what to say when an attack like this happens. Every attack on journalists and news crews deserves to be condemned. You find yourself in a situation in which you don’t know how to react, the people were shooting something that had nothing to do with the man who attacked them without a reason. I have to admit that I am shocked and surprised. On the other hand, I am satisfied that everything ended well and that police reacted the way they did, meaning several police units promptly came and they did their job,” he explained. The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) condemned the attack on Thursday. ANEM pointed out that several recent attacks on journalists showed that the pressure they were exposed to were increasing ahead of parliamentary and local elections in Serbia. The association added that it appeared that journalists and cameramen were becoming hostages of perception and that ordinary information about functioning of public services represented a hidden election campaign. Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) condemned the attack on Wednesday, stressing that perpetrators of such crimes should be severely punished. The attack should be treated as endangering of safety of people who did a work of public interest, for which the envisaged sentence is one to eight years in prison, UNS said in the release. The Studio B news crew and the attacker are seen during the confrontation (Studio B) Attack condemned The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organization (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), condemns the alleged assault against a Studio B TV crew. On 22 February 2212, reporters from Belgrade-based Studio B were filming in the downtown area of the Serbian capital when a person approached and threatened them, and subsequently hit the camera assistant. The police detained him. SEEMO recalls that in the cases of previous assaults against journalists, alleged perpetrators were briefly detained, before being released. Any subsequent sentences were inordinately light. SEEMO joins the Association of Serbian Journalists (UNS) in demanding more significant sanctions in such cases. “I applaud any prompt police action, but I also call on the authorities to guarantee the safety of journalists,” said SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic. “Sentences for this type of offense are often very light, and courts take a long time to deliberate and implement them.” B92

Prosecution requests probe into attack on reporters

Žitić is charged with endangering of safety and violent behavior, Public State Prosecution Spokesman Tomo Zorić has said.

The envisaged penalty for endangering of safety is one to eight years in prison and six months to five years for violent behavior.

“Bearing in mind that these were journalists who were performing their regular duties, the prosecution will certainly request maximum sentences within the scope envisaged by the law,” Zorić pointed out.

“All attacks deserve condemnation”

“Every attack on journalists and news crews deserves to be condemned,” Studio B Director Aleksandar Timofejev has said, commenting on the attack that took place on Wednesday afternoon in Belgrade.

According to Studio B, the police quickly arrived to the scene and arrested the assailant who confessed he had attacked the news crew.

“He was remanded in custody for 48 hours on suspicion that he committed a criminal act of violent behavior and a complaint for violation of public peace and order has been filed against him,” Timofejev told B92.

“You just don’t know what to say when an attack like this happens. Every attack on journalists and news crews deserves to be condemned. You find yourself in a situation in which you don’t know how to react, the people were shooting something that had nothing to do with the man who attacked them without a reason. I have to admit that I am shocked and surprised. On the other hand, I am satisfied that everything ended well and that police reacted the way they did, meaning several police units promptly came and they did their job,” he explained.

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) condemned the attack on Thursday. ANEM pointed out that several recent attacks on journalists showed that the pressure they were exposed to were increasing ahead of parliamentary and local elections in Serbia.

The association added that it appeared that journalists and cameramen were becoming hostages of perception and that ordinary information about functioning of public services represented a hidden election campaign.

Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) condemned the attack on Wednesday, stressing that perpetrators of such crimes should be severely punished.

The attack should be treated as endangering of safety of people who did a work of public interest, for which the envisaged sentence is one to eight years in prison, UNS said in the release.

Attack condemned

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organization (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), condemns the alleged assault against a Studio B TV crew.

On 22 February 2212, reporters from Belgrade-based Studio B were filming in the downtown area of the Serbian capital when a person approached and threatened them, and subsequently hit the camera assistant. The police detained him.

SEEMO recalls that in the cases of previous assaults against journalists, alleged perpetrators were briefly detained, before being released. Any subsequent sentences were inordinately light. SEEMO joins the Association of Serbian Journalists (UNS) in demanding more significant sanctions in such cases.

“I applaud any prompt police action, but I also call on the authorities to guarantee the safety of journalists,” said SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujović. “Sentences for this type of offense are often very light, and courts take a long time to deliberate and implement them.”