Serbia: Concerns for press freedom intensified as journalist briefly arrested for her Covid-19 reporting

SERBIA, Novi Sad, April 7 -- Nova.rs reporter Ana Lalić was arrested on April 2, for reporting on Covid-19. She was accused of “causing public unrest and damaging a hospital’s reputation” after she reported on the lack of medical supplies and equipment for its staff. After being interrogated at a local police station in Vojvodina, Ana was released the next morning.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns Ana’s arrest. Considering the uncertain situation following the Covid-19 outbreak around the world, it is inhumane for the Serbian government to intimidate a journalist when their services are needed the most. We demand authorities in Serbia to do better and allow journalists to report without feeling threatened.

Ana reported about the deplorable state of facilities in the Clinical Centre of Vojvodina (KCV). Her story, titled ‘Clinical Centre of Vojvodina at the breaking point: No protection for nurses’, was focused on the lack of medical supplies and equipment for staff at the hospital, wherein she also mentioned that one in five coronavirus patients in the city are media workers. The report shared how the staff was working under difficult conditions during the life-threatening pandemic.

Despite reaching out to relevant officials at the hospital and the provincial secretariat for health, Ana did not receive a reply by either. In fact, as soon as her story was published, the hospital denied its content and deemed the report as “inaccurate, unverified and malicious” in a press release. They resorted to informing the prosecution and filed a police complaint against her.

On March 28, The government of Serbia had already decided to “forbid anyone not in its Crisis Staff from issuing any information” related to the outbreak. The staff is said to be led by Prime MInister Ana Brnabic. What the authorities in Serbia did was a blatant display of suppressing freedom of speech and the public’s right to information.

Following the first day after the new rule in the country and mere hours after her story went live, an order for Ana to be arrested for 48 hours was released pending interrogation by a prosecutor. The police entered her home and took her to the Novi Sad police station “on suspicion that she could repeat the crime, publishing texts that cause panic and disorder”. Her apartment was searched, after which the police confiscated Ana’s laptop and two of her mobile phones. However, she was released the next morning.

Following immense condemnation by journalists and advocates of press freedom, the PM apologized for Ana’s arrest and assured the revocation of the decree. However, she also maintained that “spreading fake news in an emergency situation is a serious offence”.

After being released, Ana spoke with the local media about the episode involving her arrest. “I am confused. That is the only answer I'm able to give right now.... If the decree was indeed repealed, it was worth the night in custody,” she said.

It is worrying that press freedom remains a challenge in Serbia. That a journalist has been accused of upsetting the public and damaging the reputation of an institution by merely reporting about its problematic state of affairs is unacceptable, to say the least. Journalists are meant to inform the public by gathering relevant information about a certain event. Serbia has been the most affected country in the Balkan region with 1,060 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 28 deaths reported so far.

Given that the novel coronavirus outbreak has shaken even the most powerful countries known for their healthcare facilities, it is crucial for the public to stay informed about every single development. But Ana was persecuted for doing her job. The Coalition For Women In Journalism urges Serbia’s government to help journalists in disseminating genuine information regarding the pandemic rather than prosecuting them for their work.