Serbian Journalists' Association Condemns SNS for Banning Media from Rally

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) has strongly condemned the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and its local officials for preventing a media team from reporting on a party rally. The incident occurred Sunday at an SNS event titled "Srbija pobeđuje" (Serbia Wins) in Dimitrovgrad, where the FAR portal's reporting team was allegedly banned and subsequently removed. According to FAR, Vladica Dimitrov, the president of the Dimitrovgrad municipality and the local SNS committee, issued the prohibition.

NUNS highlighted that obstructing journalists and media crews from covering events of public interest, and physically removing them, constitutes unacceptable discrimination and pressure on freedom of information. The association expressed particular concern that the ban was issued by a local official holding a public office, who therefore has an added responsibility to uphold the public's right to be informed. "Political parties and their representatives must not decide which media outlets are 'desirable' and which are not, nor should they remove journalists from events because they dislike their editorial policy or reporting methods," NUNS stated.

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Political parties and their representatives must not decide which media outlets are 'desirable', nor should they remove journalists from events because they dislike their editorial policy or reporting methods.

The association characterized such practices as selective treatment of the media and an attempt to control information flow. NUNS emphasized that all journalists and media teams must be guaranteed unimpeded, safe, and equal access to events. Freedom of information and the public's right to timely, complete, and objective reporting should not be contingent on the organizers' preferences at political gatherings.

NUNS urged the SNS, its local committees, and all public officials to cease discriminatory practices against the media. They called for the creation of conditions that allow journalists to perform their professional duties without pressure, obstruction, or removal from events. The association stressed that the right to inform citizens should not depend on the will of political rally organizers.

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Preventing journalists and media teams from covering events of public interest, as well as their physical removal from such events, is an unacceptable form of media discrimination and pressure on freedom of public information.