Actual attacks on journalists, Nebojsa Todorovic, Belgrade, 18.01.2024.

Translations: Beograd 

• Case info

• Personal info

• Regional center

  RS
• Gender

  Male
• Victim(s) name

  Nebojsa Todorovic

• Media outlet

• Name of the media outlet

  Nova S
• Type of media platform

  Online Media
  
• Source of information about the incident

  Nova S

• Incident Data

• Date of incident

  18.01.2024
• City

  Beograd
• Perpetrator(s)

  Not known
• Attacked by

  (ordinary) citizens
  
• Type of incident

  Actual attacks on journalists

• Action by the authorities

• Action taken by the journalists' association

• Was journalist's association informed by the journalists directly?

  Yes

A Nova.rs journalist was at the Red Star – Baskonia match, he was physically assaulted and kicked out of the Arena by security at the press entrance of Stark Arena. The security guard announced that Nova S journalists were prohibited from entering the game by the club and that they must not let in a journalist who normally has season accreditation for 2023/2024. He was asked to stand aside, which he did, until someone from the club arrived, even though he passed the scanner at the press entrance. During the conversation with the security guard, he turned on the camera on his mobile phone, pointed specifically at the floor, so as not to record people who don’t want it. He was told not to enter the game, which he respected, and to wait, which he also respected while listening to the explanations, and when he refused to turn off the recording of the phone facing the floor, the incident occurred. A security guard grabbed his hand and snatched his phone, and immediately afterwards he was roughly pushed from behind and kicked out of the press entrance. All those present, and even members of the Gendarmerie at the journalist’s entrance, were taken aback by the sight and use of force by the so-called security guards, along with the aforementioned confiscation of phones. The phone was then returned at a personal request, but after everything recorded up to the previous evening was deleted from the phone’s memory. Everything that happened was then denied, even though there were witnesses present. The journalist has a valid seasonal accreditation issued by KK Crvena zvezda, with a photo, first and last name, and was informed of the informal permission of the Euroleague organization that no one can prohibit the holders of such accreditations from attending Crvena zvezda matches, which is what the club is talking about turned a deaf ear and the journalist was subsequently shown his picture by the security guard who explained that he was forbidden. After the incident, Red Star PR Igor Vujčin appeared and stated that Nova.rs is still banned from attending matches and following the club, even though the Euroleague said otherwise.