SafeJournalists strongly condemns the vandal attack on the car of Nevenka Medić, the director of the Kossev portal, which happened over the weekend in the center of North Mitrovica.

The car was parked in front of the building where the director of Kossev lives, and the car has visible damage in three places, most likely caused by a flammable liquid, as the Kossev portal writes. Medić reported the incident to the Kosovo Police, who took a statement from her, and conducted an investigation and forensic analysis of the car.

This is not the first time a similar incident has occurred. Namely, in 2015, the director of Kossev’s private car, which was also used for editorial purposes, was completely set on fire in the same street and in approximately the same place, and the perpetrators have not been prosecuted to this day, because the investigation was unsuccessful.

Tatjana Lazarevic, editor of the Kossev portal, points out for the SafeJournalists network that the damage to the car is intentional and that it is visible to the naked eye. “I expect the police to at least confirm the cause of the damage. Although she is the director of our portal, given the amount of work in the field in the previous months and years, Nevenka Medić spends a significant amount of time reporting from the field, and her private vehicle is the only vehicle she uses for work. She is a safety-literate person, and that includes taking care of where she parks her vehicle, especially after her vehicle was also set on fire in 2015. We do not have the epilogue of that investigation to this day. Unfortunately, even in this situation, we express reservations that the investigation will be efficient and accurate. But of course, I don’t want to prejudge. Furthermore, I expect the Kosovo Police to do their job professionally. In the end, I emphasize that all of us in the editorial office do our work as professionally as possible and that, as far as we are concerned, we have no enemies,” Lazarevic points out.

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK) condemned this vandalism. ,,This attack on a media professional is an attack on the freedom of the press and the safety of journalists in Kosovo. No journalist should ever be targeted for their work, which plays a critical role in informing the public and upholding democratic values. We call on the Kosovo authorities to act swiftly and thoroughly in investigating this case, ensuring those responsible are brought to justice. The safety of journalists must be a top priority, and decisive actions are needed to prevent further attacks that threaten our media community.”, said Getoarbë Mulliqi, executive director of AJK.

The SafeJournalists network, which represents media professionals in the Western Balkans, joins its member AJK and calls on the Kosovo Police to take action as soon as possible, shed light on the case and punish the perpetrators of such an act of vandalism.

The SafeJournalists network will inform relevant national and international stakeholders.

Every attack on journalists is an attack on the public interest, democracy and the rights of all citizens.

Association of Journalists of Kosovo

Association of Journalists of Macedonia

BH Journalists Association

Croatian Journalists’ Association

Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia

Trade Union of Media of Montenegro

Prishtina – Skopje – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Belgrade – Podgorica, 14.10.2024.

The source: IJAS

Photo by: Kossev/Canva