In response to today’s announcement by IJAS, Reporters Without Borders fully supports journalist Tamara Skrozza and strongly condemns the campaign against her.
“RSF expresses its full solidarity with Tamara Skrozza who personifies quality and ethical journalism – the very opposite of those who are attacking her. The Orwellian propaganda is trying to convince Serbia that she wishes for the death of the president, while she only criticized the Milosevic regime. In fact, the campaign made a revelation: In today’s Serbia, criticizing dictator Slobodan Milosevic is considered dangerous for President Aleksandar Vucic. A question remains: Is Vucic’s regime trying to show us a preference for Milosevic’s dictatorship as opposed to the democratic state?
It is hard to imagine that such a campaign in the outlets depending on the government is launched without an explicit or implicit greenlight from the government itself. So it’s ultimately the government which is responsible. In a democratic country, the authorities not only refrain from attacking journalists, but also actively protect them, as well as media freedom, independence and pluralism. In a state of rule of law, an independent media authority would act against the illicit content broadcast in the media. In Serbia, REM does not act. By not acting, it becomes an accomplice of such dangerous practices for journalists and journalism.
As it has already happened in the past, the denigration campaign on the TV and online can lead to physical attacks against the journalist. If something happens to Tamara Skrozza, we will hold the government and its media proxies responsible. Based on Tamara Skrozza’s complaint, the authorities must ensure her safety.”