Actual attacks on journalists, Verica Marinčić i Miodrag Blečić, Indjija, 26.02.2025.

IJAS •︎ Posted on

Actual attacks on journalists, Verica Marinčić i Miodrag Blečić, Indjija, 26.02.2025.

Translations: Beograd 

  • Case info

  • Personal info

  • Regional center
    Belgrade
  • Who was attacked?
    Journalist
  • Gender
    Other
  • Victim(s) name
    Verica Marinčić i Miodrag Blečić

  • Media outlet

  • Name of the media outlet
    In Medija
  • Type of media platform
    Online Media
  • Source of information about the incident
    Portal N1

  • Incident Data

  • Date of incident
    26.02.2025
  • City
    Indjija
  • Were authorities informed?
    Case was initiated ex officio by the Authorities
  • Perpetrator(s)
    Known (suspected)
  • Attacked by
    (ordinary) citizens
  • Means of incidents and attacks
    In person
  • Type of incident
    Actual attacks on journalists
  • Type of attack
    Physical attack with snatching or damage to devices, cars or other journalist's belongings

  • Action by the authorities

  • Police action
    The police responded well in this particular incident. The officer on duty physically intervened to prevent further assault, removed the individual from the scene, and continued with the identification process.
  • Public prosecutor's action
    The prosecution reached a plea agreement regarding the criminal offense and filed an indictment proposal.
  • Court action
    The Basic Court in Stara Pazova issued a guilty verdict and sentenced the offender to 6 months probation with a 2-year probationary period, along with a ban on approaching and communicating with the victim.
  • Legal status of the case
    Perpetrator is convicted
  • Type of violation
    Security threat
    Damage to journalists' belongings

  • Action taken by the journalists' association

  • Was journalist's association informed by the journalists directly?
    No
  • What was the reaction of the journalists' association?
    The association reacted publicly
    The association sent a letter of concern to the institutions
    The association informed international organizations and institutions

Journalist Verica Marinčić was physically attacked, and together with her colleague Miodrag Blečić, they were beaten together in Indjija.

On February 26, an elderly man attacked journalists in Indjija, while they were reporting on a protest march organized by high school students and students in that city. A man knocked the mobile phone out of the hand of Verica Marinčić, the editor of the IN Media portal, and then called her and her colleague Miodrag Blečić “ustashas”. The policeman who happened to be on the scene fortunately stopped the man and the further escalation of violence, according to the IN Media portal team.

Verica Mariničić told the SafeJournalists network: “He first insulted the children in the column that they were Ustasha, then treated me with the same and then attacked me for filming. I dropped my phone, the police responded, but he continued to threaten and attack us through the police.”

The police reacted well to the specific incident. The official who was there on duty prevented further attack on the person, physically prevented him from doing so, removed him from the scene and further legitimized him.