Arrest of Ana Lalić over an article on the Clinical Centre of Vojvodina

Category: Persecution

Period: 28 Mar 2020 – 11 May 2021

Outcome: No one investigated (as of 11 May 2021)

On 1 April 2020, during the COVID state of emergency, journalist Ana Lalić published an article in which staff at the Clinical Centre of Vojvodina spoke anonymously about a shortage of protective equipment. That same evening police searched her flat, seized her laptop and phones and took her in; she spent the night in custody on suspicion of causing panic and disorder. The authorities and pro-government media called the article lies, and an ad against her and threats followed. The Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad dismissed the complaint, and no record has been found of anyone being held accountable for the arrest.

The article on protective equipment

On 1 April 2020, during the COVID state of emergency, Nova.rs journalist Ana Lalić published an article in which two doctors and a nurse at the Clinical Centre of Vojvodina spoke anonymously about a chronic shortage of protective equipment.

Three days earlier, the Government had issued a decision that only the Crisis Response Team would inform the public about the epidemic, threatening legal consequences for "disinformation".

Flat searched and a night in custody

The same day, the Clinical Centre called the article untrue and malicious and notified the prosecution and the police. That evening police searched the flat of Ana Lalić, seized her laptop and both of her phones and took her in.

The prosecution ordered her held for 48 hours on suspicion of causing panic and disorder. She spent the night in a holding cell and was released the following morning.

Decision withdrawn, article called a lie

On 2 April, at the request of President Vučić, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić withdrew the decision on informing the public, but repeated that the article about the equipment was a lie; Vučić also said it "was a lie".

The same day, Crisis Response Team member Predrag Kon said that equipment had indeed been in short supply before the donation from China.

Campaign, advert and threats

Editors at Informer and Pink called the article fake news, and Kurir wrote that Ana Lalić had “lied”.

There followed a paid advert with her name and photograph presenting her as someone “working against the interests of Serbia”, threats and a punctured tyre on her car. According to her, a year later she still had no answer about any investigation into the threats and the damage to her car.

Complaint dismissed, no apology

The Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad dismissed the criminal complaint against Ana Lalić on 20 April 2020, without giving public reasons. According to her, the Prime Minister never apologised. No information was found that anyone was held accountable for the arrest.

How the authorities presented data on the epidemic during 2020 is described in the affair “Hidden data on COVID deaths ahead of the elections”.

Participants

University Clinical Centre of Vojvodina: Called the article about the equipment shortage malicious and reported it to the prosecutor's office and the police for “causing public alarm” (responsible)
Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia: Seven hours after the article was published, police searched the journalist's flat, seized her laptop and phones and held her overnight; the complaint was dismissed (responsible)
Government of the Republic of Serbia: During the state of emergency, it decided that only the Crisis Response Team would inform the public about COVID, threatening liability for any other announcements (responsible)
Ana Brnabić: The government she headed decided that only the Crisis Response Team would inform the public about COVID; when withdrawing the decision, she called it her own fault (responsible)
Aleksandar Vučić: The Prime Minister said she would withdraw the decision on public information at his express request (commented on the case)
Darija Kisić Tepavčević: She called the information in the article absolutely untrue (commented on the case)
Predrag Kon: He said there had been a shortage of equipment before the donation from China and that the article referred to that period (commented on the case)
Zlatibor Lončar: He admitted there had not been enough protective equipment at the start of the epidemic (commented on the case)
Dragan J. Vučićević: At the president's press conference, referring to the article about the Clinical Centre, he said “Today fake news has been legalised” (commented on the case)
Informer: At the president's press conference, the editor called the article about the Clinical Centre fake news (commented on the case)
TV Pink: At the president's press conference, the journalist said the article about the Clinical Centre was not a criticism but fake news (commented on the case)
Kurir: After her arrest it published that the journalist had “lied”, and then that she had “knowingly misled the public” (responsible)
Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad: Over the article about the Clinical Centre, it ordered her held for 48 hours for “spreading panic”, then dismissed the criminal complaint (responsible)
Press Council: Complaints Commission fails to rule on Kurir: seven voted that the Code had been breached, but eight were needed (oversight and the public)
Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina: It demanded an urgent investigation into the punctured tyre and a year later gave the journalist an award (oversight and the public)

Victims and others harmed

Ana Lalić