"TV Tera" reported that its cameraman was unlawfully held at the Bitola stadium, while the security says: "There was unauthorized filming"
Two reports were received by SVR Bitola on 4 August 2026; TV Tera claims the cameraman was held, the security says "There was unauthorized filming".
A local television station reported that its cameraman was unlawfully detained by the security at the City Stadium "Petar Milosevski" in Bitola, while the security guards and police reports say the crew was filming without authorization.
Sequence of events and official information
Two reports were received by the Ministry of Internal Affairs today before 12:00, within a 10-minute span, regarding the incident in Bitola. As the Ministry of Internal Affairs said: "Today (04.08.2026) at 11:40, SVR Bitola received a report from the security at the City Stadium 'Petar Milosevski' in Bitola that there had been unauthorized filming in the stadium by a local television crew. Also, according to the report, at 11:51 an employee of the local television reported to SVR Bitola that in the premises of the football stadium the security had unlawfully detained the television's cameraman. Measures are being taken to clarify the incident."
TV Tera initially published that the incident occurred in the premises of football club Pelister and stated that their team had been held behind closed doors, prevented from performing their professional duties and blocked by the local security.
The station reacted by claiming that the security did not provide contacts for management and refused to inform the directors, which TV Tera characterized as obstructing the work of the media and the unlawful deprivation of liberty at the workplace.
The Association of Journalists of Macedonia said that cameraman Nikola Najdovski was filming clips related to cultural events in the city, during which the security verbally assaulted him and confiscated his camera, preventing him from continuing his reporting. The Association stated that such conduct is unacceptable and called on the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office to investigate whether the actions taken may be examined in the context of Article 139 of the Criminal Code.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that it is taking measures to clarify the incident and that the case is under review; the Association of Journalists of Macedonia requested a swift and thorough investigation and emphasized that any obstruction, intimidation or seizure of equipment from journalists must be sanctioned.
Photo: TV Tera
