DICTATORSHIP IN SERBIA: Journalists arrested for allegedly not disinfecting

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The owner of KTV television from Zrenjanin, Danijela Radić, informed the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) that the television crew was arrested on "false charges" of not disinfecting when they entered the City Administration building in Zrenjanin, UNS announced today.

The statement states that Radić said that her son Danijel Radić, who is also a provincial MP, along with cameraman Robert Bajtai, were on a journalistic assignment to get a statement from the Deputy Mayor of Zrenjanin, Saša Santovac, regarding the recently announced public bidding for the lease of state agricultural land, even though public gatherings are prohibited, Danas.rs reports.

"Farmers called us and said that their lives are their priority, not the land, and that more than 200 people will gather during the public bidding, which is prohibited in an emergency situation," Radić told UNS.

UNS states in its announcement that "Radić, in her address to the association, said that while taking Santovac's statement, the mayor's spokesperson Aleksandar Kandić called security to 'throw out' the KTV television crew from the City Administration, even though, she emphasizes, they had protective masks and gloves.".

"After two hours, about ten police officers surrounded our house. They came without a court order and were looking for my son. They threatened us that they would search our house if he didn't show up," Radić said, as stated in the UNS announcement.

Radić said that her camera was also confiscated without a valid reason.

"This is an abuse of the state of emergency for truthful and timely information. KTV television wanted to help farmers with its reporting," said Radić.

It was previously announced that the Zrenjanin police arrested and detained two residents of Zrenjanin for up to 48 hours because they refused to undergo mandatory disinfection due to the spread of coronavirus when entering the City Administration building in that city.