Strong condemnation of the attack on an ALSAT M news crew in Vizbegovo

AJM •︎ Posted on

Strong condemnation of the attack on an ALSAT M news crew in Vizbegovo
photo: canva

Translations: Skopje 

  • Case info

  • Personal info

  • Regional center
    Skopje
  • Who was attacked?
    Journalist
  • Gender
    Man
  • Victim(s) name
    Avni Tahiri and Shenol Hajredini

  • Media outlet

  • Name of the media outlet
    ALSAT M
  • Type of media platform
    Television

  • Incident Data

  • Date of incident
    09.07.2025
  • City
    Skopje
  • Were authorities informed?
    Case was reported to the police
    Case was reported to the Prosecutor’s Office
  • 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 attacker has been detained by the police
  • Public prosecutor's action
    The Public Prosecutor’s Office will prosecute the attack on the ALSAT TV crew as an assault on an official person, which carries a sentence of up to 5 years in prison.
  • Legal status of the case
    The procedure is in the investigative phase
  • Type of violation
    Light physical injury
    Damage to journalists' belongings

  • Action taken by the journalists' association

  • Was journalist's association informed by the journalists directly?
    Yes
  • 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
    The association provided legal support

The Association of Journalists of Macedonia strongly condemns today’s physical attack on the news crew of ALSAT M television, which was reporting on the major fire at the illegal landfill in Vizbegovo.

According to information from colleagues, journalist Avni Tahiri and cameraman Shenol Hajredini from the crew were physically attacked by the owner of the waste site, who is believed to have caused the fire. The attacker forcibly took journalist Tahiri’s mobile phone and threw it into the fire, while cameraman Shenol Hajredini was also assaulted and his camera was destroyed. The individual has been arrested by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the case has been reported to the police.

The Association of Journalists of Macedonia is in communication with the contact points within the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Public Prosecutor’s Office for the protection of journalists and media workers.

We remind that, under the latest amendments to the Criminal Code, any attack on journalists while performing their professional duties is a serious criminal offence punishable by imprisonment.

We expect the institutions to conduct a swift and effective investigation and to impose an appropriate sanction on the attacker.