Serbian authorities must swiftly and thoroughly investigate the November 5 attacks by masked individuals on a journalist and two camera operators working for N1 TV and Euronews as they were covering a demonstration in Novi Sad.

“Serbian authorities must bring all those responsible for the attack on a journalist and camera operators for N1 TV and Euronews to justice,” said Attila Mong, CPJ’s Europe representative. “Journalists must be able to report on demonstrations without fear of intimidation or violence. Authorities need to send a clear message that such attacks will not be tolerated.”

The demonstration on November 5 was seeking accountability for the infrastructure collapse at a Novi Sad railway station that killed 14 people on November 1. According to news reports, a group of masked individuals threw stones, sticks, and flares at the City Hall building during the event.

The individuals shouted insults at N1 TV reporter Žaklina Tatalović and her cameraperson, Nikola Popović, and another protester struck Popović’s hand, causing him to drop and damage his camera. Later a man hit and knocked Euronews camera operator Mirko Todorović to the ground. No injuries were reported.

SafeJournalists, a regional press freedom group, said that the incidents were reported to the authorities, but that police at the scene did not respond and instead “observe[d] the events silently”.

CPJ emailed questions to the press department of the Serbian Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the police, but did not receive a response.