
25
Apr 2019
Lvl. 2
State replied
Alert created on: 02 Jun 2017
n° 63/2017
Serbia
Serbian Reporter Lidija Valtner Attacked During New Serbian President’s Inauguration
Source of threatNon-state
CategoryAttacks on physical safety and integrity of journalists
Lidija Valtner, a reporter for the Serbian daily Danas, was filming an altercation between supporters of Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and a protester during the President's inauguration on 31 May 2017, in Belgrade, when she was attacked by two Progressive Party supporters. One tried to grab her phone in order to prevent her from filming and, when she tried to defend herself, the two men seized her and forcibly took her away to a neighbouring park, 50 meters away.
In an interview with RSF, Valtner expressed dismay that two plainclothes police officers watched this attack without coming to her help.
Force was also used to prevent journalists with Vice, Radio Belgrade and the Cenzovska and Insajder websites from reporting or filming the demonstrations.
In an interview with RSF, Valtner expressed dismay that two plainclothes police officers watched this attack without coming to her help.
Force was also used to prevent journalists with Vice, Radio Belgrade and the Cenzovska and Insajder websites from reporting or filming the demonstrations.
Updates
14 May 2018
On 23 April 2018, having questioned Slobodan Stojkovic, Filip Gojkovic and Marko Vukicevic, as well as Lidija Valtner, the Public Prosecutor’s Office rejected the journalist’s complaint, finding no basis for a suspicion that the criminal offense of endangering security or any other criminal offense for which prosecution is undertaken ex officio had been committed.
Additional Information
- Statement by EFJ : "Serbia: Journalists verbally and physically attacked during President’s inauguration "
- Report from RSF "Reporters attacked during new Serbian president’s inauguration"
- Article published by Insajder"Several attacks on journalists during President Vucic’s inauguration"
- Statement by the Western Balkan’s Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety: " Investigate attacks on journalists in Belgrade urgently"
- Report published on Mapping Media Freedom: "Serbia: Journalists assaulted during clashes at presidential inauguration"
State replies
Reply from the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia
Reply from the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia
Follow-ups

Commissioner for Human Rights: ‘Concerted efforts needed to protect media freedoms in Serbia’