Politika journalist injured on main bridge; KP: Attacker is mentally ill, Radomirović: Sick people should not be on the streets, UNS condemns…
Biljana Radomirović, a journalist for the daily newspaper Politika, sustained minor injuries last night when a man, known to the police and said to be mentally ill, threw a beer bottle at her. The incident took place on the main Ibar bridge in North Mitrovica. The Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS), along with its Kosovo branch, condemned the attack and demanded that the attacker be punished.
Radomirović sustained minor injuries around 9 pm while on a work assignment on the bridge with her colleague from Jedinstvo. A man, already known to the police and said to be mentally ill, threw a bottle in their direction. The bottle hit a concrete planter, and the glass shards struck Radomirović’s legs, deputy commander of the Kosovo police for the north region, Veton Elshani, told KoSSev.
Elshani said that the police are reviewing the next steps regarding the attacker and revealed that the injured journalist did not wish to press charges.
Mentally ill or dangerous individuals do not belong on the streets; he would have thrown the bottle at anyone
Radomirović explained that she was on a work assignment at the main Ibar bridge when the incident occurred.
„I was doing what I normally do, and it was very calm; everyone was watching the game, and there was no crowd. My colleague and I walked down to the main bridge to talk to the Italian Carabinieri who are on duty there about the overall situation,“ she explained.
However, when they approached the bridge, they noticed a middle-aged man who, she says, was shouting in Albanian. The man then started approaching them.
„I saw that he was following us, but I didn’t think he had any intention until I heard a bang. In that shock, I just saw him running towards the southern side of the town, and then I saw blood on my leg,“ she described.
The Italian Carabinieri stationed on the bridge provided first aid to Radomirović. She did not intend to call the police, but they arrived at some point. The KP told her that they suspected who the attacker was and that he was already known to them as problematic. Her wounds were then treated by the Emergency Service.
Radomirović does not believe the attacker targeted her specifically but is upset that such a person is on the street.
„I didn’t want to file a case and give statements; it didn’t end as badly as it could have. But I was both angry and upset. I don’t think this was directed specifically at me. The worst part is that he would have thrown the bottle at anyone who happened to be there at that moment. If he is, as the police say, mentally ill, then he should be treated; he doesn’t belong on the street but in a healthcare facility. That bottle could have ended up in someone’s head, and he could have had a knife.“
She repeated this several times to the police, who told her they would take measures.
UNS: Attacker to be Punished
In the meantime, UNS reacted, demanding that the attacker be strictly punished for the attack.
„Any threat to the safety of journalists is unacceptable, and the perpetrators of physical attacks must be severely punished,“ they stated.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
