Several hundred citizens blocked traffic on Terazije in front of the "Informer" editorial building. The reason for the protest was that on Tuesday evening this media published a "mega-exclusive" interview with the repeatedly convicted rapist Igor Milošević, who was released from prison last week after serving his prison sentence.
Those gathered at the protest organized by the feminist movement "Women's Solidarity" say that they want security, not fear. Banners can be seen on the spot: "Women's suffering is not a source of income", "Violators in prisons, not in the media", "How does the state protect female citizens?" Tabloids interview serial rapists?!", "Violence is not clicked on, violence is punished". The editorial board of "Informer" was told: "Shame on you."
Anita Marković, in front of the non-governmental movement "Women's Solidarity", said that the gathered girls and women were furious and that "the media has failed women for the umpteenth time". "If the media do things like this, they are direct accomplices and commit violence against women."
The competent Ministry of Culture and Information has not yet made an announcement. The video interview published on Tuesday evening appeared on the front page of this pro-government tabloid today.
Members of the opposition coalition "Moramo" joined the gathered citizens.
The interview with the repeatedly convicted rapist is just the culmination of media coverage in the past few days. Instead of calling on institutions to take responsibility for the safety of female citizens, the media recommended various ways of self-defense, from where to buy "pepper spray" to whether every woman should carry a knife.
Civil society organizations announced on Wednesday morning that during the previous days an atmosphere of "paralyzing fear" was created. "It is particularly unethical that the media, which in other cases of sexual violence questioned the confessions of women victims of the same, are writing about all of this," the announcement states.
"Informer" editor-in-chief Dragan J. Vučićević said on Wednesday that the only motive for publishing such an interview is "journalism". "We did not popularize anyone. But you have already decided, it is not worth explaining," said Vučićević. He assessed that if the public does not understand this kind of procedure of the paper of which he is the editor, then "they do not understand the coverage of the BBC, NCB, SKY or USA Today because every professional media in the world would do it."
SP/N1/Nova.rs
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