SafeJournalists condemn police use of force in Novi Sad

“The SafeJournalists Network strongly condemns the brutal use of force by the police and Gendarmerie against journalists, students and citizens during today’s events in front of the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education in Novi Sad,” a press release said.

Police and Gendarmerie personnel in riot gear used force against protesters at the Novi Sad University Faculty of Sports and Physical Education to prevent Dean Patrik Drid from trying to break through the student blockade. “On that occasion, the police used force indiscriminately,” it said.

The press release said that Zarko Bogosavljevic, a reporter for the Razglas-news portal, was beaten while wearing a PRESS vest.

The SafeJournalists Network also condemn the recent threats to shoot N1 journalists and protesting students sent to the N1 newsroom.

It warned that messages of hatred and violence clearly represent a criminal offense and must be treated as a serious threat to the safety of journalists and citizens and called the authorities, especially the Prosecutor’s Office for High-Tech Crime and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia, to urgently identify and prosecute the person who sent the threats.