Attacks on Journalists, Alisa Hajdarpašić, Bijelo Polje, 14.04.2024.

Translations: Podgorica 

The correspondent of Vijesti from Bijelo Polje, Alisa Hajdarpašić, was attacked while performing her work duties on April 14th in Bijelo Polje. Namely, the journalist was assigned to cover police activities in Orahovica in front of the family home of Zoran Lazović, a former official of the intelligence sector who was arrested that day upon the order of the Special State Prosecutor’s Office. Despite immediately identifying herself and presenting her press credentials upon arrival, a group of individuals at the scene began to insult and push her to prevent her from carrying out her journalistic assignment.

In a statement given to the police, the journalist stated that Vladan Kovačević, a local official, encouraged the residents to surround her, and that Sakib Čindrak, the president of the Bistrica local community, pushed her to prevent her from completing her work task.

In May 2025, Bijelo Polje Basic Prosecutor Jelena Vučetić determined that there were no grounds for criminal prosecution against the individuals who had prevented a journalist from reporting, despite the findings of court expert Hajdarpašić, who concluded that the journalist had experienced a psychological reaction to severe stress.
In November 2025, the Bijelo Polje Misdemeanor Court ruled that Čindrak’s act of preventing the journalist from doing her job constituted a “legitimate reaction to filming on private property”, so the case was concluded with an acquittal.