The Protector of Citizens, Zoran Pašalić, warned today, on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day, that pressures on the media and journalists are still present and visible in various forms, from labelling and discrediting to threats and physical attacks, and invited media workers to contact him if they believe that their guaranteed rights are being violated.
Pasalić also called for responsibility on the public stage of Serbia and appealed to all social actors, especially holders of public authorities, to refrain from any form of pressure on the media and journalists. As he stated, he expects that the amendments to the Law on Public Peace and Order, which he initiated more than a year ago, will be adopted as soon as possible.
It is very important that the legal changes that I initiated in order to protect journalists from the threats and pressures expressed in the public space, especially through social networks, which until now slipped under the radar of the legal responsibility of individuals, are sanctioned in the future, Pašalić pointed out.
On this occasion, the Protector of Citizens recalled that three years ago, he launched a joint project with ten journalist associations and unions by signing an agreement on the establishment of a Platform for recording cases of threats to security and pressures on journalists. The aim of the record is to more effectively protect the rights of media workers, however, to date, journalist associations have not submitted any information about possible attacks or pressures on journalists, Zoran Pašalić pointed out.