English version below

Radić je izjavio da je napustio zemlju nakon što su provladini mediji objavili video snimke njegovog praćenja na kojima je snimljena i njegova maloletna kćerka.

"Na meti se našla moja kćerka koja za nekoliko dana puni 16 godina. U utorak 23. juna TV Informer je prikazao nju na snimcima praćenja, a tokom tog dana pustili su sveže snimke kako čekam u parku da ona završi neke obaveze. Šta učiniti kada je neprijatelja puno i ugroze vam dete? Otišli smo u inostranstvo", naveo je Radić u pisanoj izjavi agenciji Beta.

ANEM podseća da je od početka ove godine već troje novinara otišlo iz Srbije. Pre njih, Srbiju je napustilo još dvoje novinara koji su na osnovu sopstvenih, kao i na osnovu procena novinarskih udruženja i medijskih asocijacija, procenili da više ne mogu bezbedno da se bave novinarstvom u svojoj državi. Njihove odluke donete su nakon brojnih pretnji, pritisaka, napada i drugih posledica otrovnih kampanja i targetiranja od strane predstavnika vlasti i prorežimskih televizija i tabloida usmerenih ka njima i njihovim porodicama.

„Posle pokušaja ubistva novinara koji je izveštavao sa lokalnih izbora i brojnih drugih teških fizičkih napada na novinarke, novinare , fotoreportere i aktiviste – jedini način da zaštite svoj život i život porodice je da napustite zemlju. Neverovatno je da u savremenoj Srbiji imamo građane – novinare, aktiviste i javne radnike koji odlaze u egzil da bi sačuvali svoje živote. Da imamo studente i aktiviste koji su u egzilu duže od godinu dana. To je poražavajuće za jedno društvo i državu. Umesto da zaštiti novinare i novinarke, da se zalaže za unapređenje slobode govora i medija i drugih demokratskih tekovina, sam vrh države aktivno proizvodi negativnu atmosferu linča usmerenu ka svima koji profesionalno rade svoj posao i iznose kritike na račun vlasti. Podsećamo da je posao novinara i medija, kao i organizacija civilnog društva i drugih aktera u javnosti, da obavljaju kontrolnu ulogu i ukazuju na nedostatke, neregularnosti i potencijalnu korupciju, a da je dužnost vlasti da reaguje povodom njihovih saznanja i da im omogući dalji nesmetan rad. U Srbiji svedočimo obrnutom slučaju, što je nezamislivo. Naša država vodi otvoreni rat protiv kritičkih i profesionalnih medija i novinara, što je evidentirano i u izveštajima brojnih međunarodnih organizacija“, izjavio je Veran Matić, predsednik Upravnog odbora ANEM, član Stalne radne grupe za bezbednost novinara i operater na Sigurnoj liniji za novinare 0800 100 115.

Podsećamo na rekordan broj pretnji, pritisaka i fizičkih napada na predstavnike medija u Srbiji u poslednjih godinu i po dana (više od 250 prema evidenciji Vrhovnog javnog tužilaštva). Ukazujemo i na skoro stoprocentnu nekažnjivost ovakvih dela (samo pet presuda). Time se otvoreno šalju poruke javnosti da je dozvoljeno napadati novinare na zadatku i da za to niko neće odgovarati.

ANEM još jednom zahteva od predsednika države, predstavnika Vlade Srbije, predsednice skupštine, poslanika i drugih zvaničnika da momentalno prestanu s etiketiranjem novinara i medija koji profesionalno obavljaju svoj posao i kritički pišu o vlasti. Od svih njih se očekuje osuda opasnih kampanja koje vode provladini mediji koji ne poštuju etičke i profesionalne novinarske standarde.

Pozivamo i nadležne organe da odmah počnu da rešavaju dosadašnje slučejeve napada na medijske radnike u Srbiji čime bi se negativni trend konačno zaustavio.

Ukoliko se ništa ne promeni u državi i društvu, brojni medijski profesionalci kojima su bezbednost i životi već ugroženi, biće nažalost, prinuđeni da napuste Srbiju. To će proizvesti dodatne štetne posledice po ovdašnju slobodu govora, medija i demokratiju čije postulate sve ozbiljnije narušava ponašanje ovdašnje vlasti.

Asocijacija nezavisnih elektronskih medija (ANEM)

Projekat „Unapređenje sistema mehanizma prevencije i reagovanja u slučajevima pretnji po bezbednost i život novinarki i novinara u Srbiji“ sprovodi ANEM sa partnerima Insajder TV i Centar za razvoj lokalnih medija, uz podršku Evropske unije.

Misija OEBS-a u Srbiji podržala je projekat ANEM-a „24/7 SOS telefonska linija za pomoć novinarima i drugim ugroženim medijskim radnicima“, u okviru projekta koji finansira Evropska unija „Jačanje slobode izražavanja i slobode medija u Srbiji“.

ANEM ALERT: Four Journalists Forced to Leave Serbia in the First Half of This Year Due to Government Repression and Pro-Government Media Campaigns

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) assesses that the departure of military analyst and Nedeljnik weekly contributor Aleksandar Radić from Serbia is further evidence of the alarming level of threats faced by media professionals and all those who express critical views of the authorities.

Radić stated that he left the country after pro-government media outlets broadcast surveillance footage of him that also included his underage daughter.

"My daughter, who turns 16 in a few days, became the target. On Tuesday, 23 June, Informer TV aired surveillance footage showing her, and throughout the day they broadcast newly recorded videos of me waiting in a park while she was attending to her activities. What do you do when there are so many enemies and they start targeting your child? We left the country," Radić said in a written statement to the Beta News Agency.

ANEM recalls that Radić is already the fourth journalist to leave Serbia this year. Before him, three other journalists left the country after concluding — based on their own assessments as well as assessments by journalists' associations and media organizations — that they could no longer safely practice journalism in Serbia. Their decisions followed numerous threats, intimidation, attacks, and the consequences of sustained smear campaigns and targeting by government officials, pro-government television stations, and tabloid media directed at them and their families.

"After the attempted murder of a journalist covering local elections at the end of March this year, as well as numerous other serious physical attacks on journalists, photojournalists, and activists, leaving the country has become the only way to protect one's own life and the lives of one's family. It is unbelievable that in present-day Serbia journalists, activists, and public figures are being forced into exile simply to stay alive. We also have students and activists who have been living in exile for more than a year. This is devastating for any society and any state.

Instead of protecting journalists, promoting freedom of expression, media freedom, and other democratic values, the highest state officials are actively creating an atmosphere of persecution and public lynching directed against everyone who performs their professional duties responsibly and criticizes those in power.

We remind the authorities that the role of journalists, media outlets, civil society organizations, and other public actors is to serve as watchdogs by exposing shortcomings, irregularities, and potential corruption. It is the duty of public authorities to respond to such findings and ensure that people bringing these findings can continue their work without interference. In Serbia, we are witnessing the exact opposite, which is inconceivable. Our state is waging an open campaign against independent and professional journalists and media outlets, a fact documented in the reports of numerous international organizations," said Veran Matić, President of the ANEM Management Board, member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, and operator of the Safe Line for Journalists (0800 100 115).

ANEM also recalls the record number of threats, intimidation, and physical attacks against media professionals in Serbia over the past eighteen months — more than 250 cases, according to the records of the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office.

At the same time, these crimes remain almost entirely unpunished, with only five convictions having been secured. This sends a clear public message that attacking media workers while they are performing their professional duties is effectively tolerated and that perpetrators are unlikely to face consequences.

ANEM once demands from the President of Serbia, members of the Government, the Speaker of Parliament, Members of Parliament, and all other public officials to immediately stop stigmatizing journalists and media outlets that professionally perform their work and critically report on those in power. We also expect all public officials to unequivocally condemn the dangerous smear campaigns conducted by pro-government media outlets that routinely violate basic ethical and professional journalistic standards.

We further call on the competent authorities to immediately begin effectively resolving the numerous pending cases involving attacks against media workers in Serbia, thereby bringing this alarming trend to an end.

Unless there is a fundamental change in the conduct of the state and its institutions, many more media professionals whose safety and lives are already at risk will, unfortunately, be forced to leave Serbia. Such an outcome would further undermine freedom of expression, media freedom, and democracy—values that are being increasingly eroded by the actions of the Serbian authorities.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

The project "Upgrading the prevention and response system and mechanism in cases of threats to the safety and life of female and male journalists in Serbia" is implemented by ANEM with partners Insider TV and the Center for the Development of Local Media, with the support of the European Union.

The OSCE mission in Serbia supported the ANEM project "24/7 SOS telephone line for help to journalists and other vulnerable media workers", within the project financed by the European Union "Strengthening freedom of expression and media freedom in Serbia".