Announcements

Journalist Igor Velić from Bor, a columnist and contributor to several media outlets, received multiple death threats on social media platforms Facebook and X, which were reported to the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime by Veran Matić, President of the Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), a member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, and an operator on the Safe Line for Journalists 0800 100 115.

The threats and harassment against freelance journalist and photo reporter Marko Dragoslavić have continued in recent days after he reported death threats and being followed by an unknown individual for the first time.

An email was received yesterday at the addresses of several editorial offices from the address meta.saradnici@proton.me, in which "responsibility" is taken for the shutdown of the Instagram accounts of certain media, organizations, and individuals.

A new wave of so-called "bot attacks" on Instagram accounts of independent media, characterized by a sudden and unusual influx of followers, has resulted in the temporary suspension of the account for the portal Nova.rs and the secret termination of the Radar account. This was reported to the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime by Veran Matić, the president of the Management Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), a member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, and an operator on the Safe Line for Journalists at 0800 100 115.

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) is seriously concerned about the physical safety of freelance journalist Marko Dragoslavić and calls on the relevant authorities to take immediate action in the recent case of the journalist being followed by an unknown man.

During the previous year, 134 cases related to attacks on journalists and media workers were formed in public prosecutor's offices in Serbia, while only three convictions were issued, according to data from the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office. The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) evaluates this data as alarming and concerning, considering that this represents double the number of cases compared to 2024, while the actual number of threats and attacks on female and male journalists was significantly higher.

The editorial team of the weekly magazine Radar has received a series of offensive messages in the comments, as well as a threat of physical violence directed at all members of the editorial staff, particularly journalist Vuk Cvijić.

After brutal campaigns of defamation, insults, and direct threats of violence against professors in journalism departments over the past few months, a new level of repression has emerged – the denial of professors' ability to perform their jobs and the revocation of their titles. The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) is concerned about the latest case, specifically the decision of the extended Senate of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Novi Sad to reject Professor Jelena Kleut's appeal against the decision not to appoint her as a full professor, thereby terminating her employment at that faculty.

An email threat was sent to the editorial offices of Danas, N1, Nova.rs, KTV from Zrenjanin, and several other media outlets from influenseri@proton.me, stating that their social media accounts would be shut down if they continued to write negatively about the president. Veran Matić, the president of the Management Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), a member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, and an operator on the Safe Line for Media Workers 0800 100 115, reported the case to the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime.