Post by Bozur on Apr 5, 2009 3:38:23 GMT -5
Orthodox Church Justifies Attack on TV Crew
BalkanInsight.com - Mar 19, 2009
The director of tje police in the Serb-dominated Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska, Uros Pena, said that police is still investigating this incident.
---------
Orthodox Church Justifies Attack on TV Crew
Sarajevo | 19 March 2009 |
An attack by a mob on Wednesday on a TV crew from Bosnia's Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim)-Croat dominated entity of the Federation, which was filming a news story in Bosnia's southeastern town of Trebinje, has triggered a heated public debate.
While media organisations, human rights activists and some politicians have reacted by demanding the protection of media freedoms, the Orthodox Church has accused the journalist of vulgar behavior and has asked the police to protect religious objects.
A reporter from the state run FTV Slobodan Vaskovic and his TV crew were attacked while trying to film a Serb Orthodox Church in Trebinje for popular FTV political magazine “60 Minutes”. The TV crew was first assaulted by two men, reportedly a driver and a relative of the influential Orthodox Bishop Grigorije.
Vaskovic and his crew managed to escape and hide in the nearby office of a local non-governmental organisation, which soon became surrounded by a 50 or so strong mob of people. Local police managed to protect the journalists and eventually escort them out of the town.
Vaskovic later reported that a vehicle with Grigorije’s driver and relative caught up with him and the two men threw rocks and stones at him, smashing the rear window of his car.
Vaskovic has become well known over the past years for investigating and reporting about alleged corruption and fraud committed by the Bosnian Serb leader, Milorad Dodik, and his links with Orthodox Church. In one of his recent statements to cameras, Dodik said he hoped that Vaskovic would get “(high) blood pressure” and that his “heart would fail”. Vaskovic has received several death threats, the last one only few days ago.
In a press statement, the Serb Orthodox Church explained that the incident was caused by the journalists, who “have upset” believers with their “vulgar behavior” and attempts to film them and the church. Provoked by this behavior, as well as “lies” which FTV has been reporting about Trebinje and the Serb Orthodox Church, “citizens” of Trebinje attempted only to prevent the TV crew from entering and filming inside the Church premises without permission, the Church said.
“Independent journalism and free media must not, by any means, yield before attacks and pressures,” said the Croat member of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency, Zeljko Komsic, in his statement to media.
The director of tje police in the Serb-dominated Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska, Uros Pena, said that police is still investigating this incident.
www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/17491/