IPI calls Serbian government to condemn attack on radio host

“Government officials in Serbia must condemn the brutal attack against journalist and radio host Daško Milinović that occurred in Novi Sad on April 16 and ensure that law enforcement authorities bring those responsible to justice, an IPI press release said.

Radio host Dasko Milinovic was assaulted by two young men in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad on Friday morning but managed to ward off their attack.

t quoted IPI Deputy Director Scott Griffen who said that the “early morning attack was clearly premeditated and the fact that Daško’s attackers wielded a metal rod indicated they meant to inflict serious injuries on him, so we are thankful that he managed to escape relatively unscathed….“But the fact that a media worker has been attacked in such a manner is extremely worrying and presents yet another illustration of how common these kinds of physical attacks on journalists are in Serbia. One of the reasons that leads individuals to violently attack a journalist on the streets like this is that in similar cases, those behind such attacks are never identified or prosecuted,” he said.

The IPI also called the Working Group for Security and Protection of Journalists to make sure that whoever is responsible for the attack does not evade justice. “Impunity will only encourage others to carry out similar attacks in the future. We welcome the fact that police and the prosecutor’s office acted swiftly to launch an investigation,” it said.

“Condemnation by government ministers in such cases is also important to make it abundantly clear that a culture of hostility and impunity which jeopardizes the safety of journalists and the media is completely unacceptable. We welcome the condemnation by Prime Minister Ana Brnabić and urge other ministers and MPs to follow her example, now and in the future. Words must now be followed up with action. IPI and our partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) will monitor this case closely in the coming weeks,” the press release said.