ANEM ALARM: Double Standards Regarding Threats – In the case of officials, the state reacts immediately; in the case of journalists, impunity prevails.

The threat was reported on July 17, and just a day later, the Special Department for High-Tech Crime of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade ordered the police to identify and arrest the perpetrator. The police acted swiftly, conducting an operation the very next day, which was covered by the media, complete with camera presence, and footage of the arrest was forwarded to tabloids and posted on social media. The same efficiency is demonstrated by state authorities when it comes to threats against the President of the Republic and other state officials.

Unfortunately, such efficiency is lacking when the targets of threats are journalists, even though, according to the law, all citizens should enjoy equal protection.

From the beginning of 2025 until June of this year, the Special Department for High-Tech Crime of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade received reports of 111 cases of threats against female journalists, male journalists, media workers, and editorial offices, which endangered their safety.

Out of that number, only one case has been conclusively resolved, and it was transferred to the Juvenile Department of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office. A special obligation was imposed on one minor to participate in group therapy and a security measure, while another received a judicial warning.

Thus, out of 111 reported cases, only one has been resolved. At the same time, in as many as 51 cases, the police did not respond to the prosecutor's request to identify the suspect, as they did in the case of threats against the minister and the chief prosecutor. This reflects almost complete impunity.

The rapid identification and arrest of the person who threatened the Minister of Justice and the Chief Public Prosecutor demonstrate that the state has the capacity to respond effectively when it chooses to do so. When it comes to journalists, such will clearly does not exist.

More than a hundred female and male journalists who have been subjected to threats in the past year and a half—many of them multiple times—live in daily fear for their safety and that of their families. They are afraid of whether, when they go out on the street with their children or report on public events, someone will act on the threats they have received in messages such as:

“I'll kill your husband, I know where you live, I'm coming,” “We'll f*** your children, we'll chop off your head, Ustasha,” “I’ll shoot you for 30 minutes, and then into the sewer,” “Aleksandre, send us salads, there will be meat, we will slaughter the KRVate Ustasha, death to the Gruhonjić family,” “I’ll pump your slaughtered children, you scums... there will be a civil war and, God willing, my hands will be bloody,” “We will annihilate you forever,” “He should be shot, and those who support him burned,” “For these fools, a bullet and a bomb,” “I f*** your slaughtered children with their eyes dug out”...

These are just some of the more than a hundred brutal examples of threats directed at journalists in the past year and a half (some female journalists have received dozens of horrifying sexist harassing messages and threats).

Particularly concerning is the case of Zoran Cvetković, who sent dozens of disturbing messages and threats to journalists, activists, and university professors—from the message “You, scum, need to be killed and thrown to the dogs” to “The black hand has marked you.” Forensic analysis has established his identity and location, and all evidence was submitted to the Special Department for High-Tech Crime back in August of last year. To this day, it is unknown what actions the prosecutor's office and police have taken in this regard.

Meanwhile, six journalists have been forced to leave Serbia due to serious threats that did not receive an adequate response from the state.

“It is alarming when those who are supposed to protect citizens apply double standards—effective investigations and swift arrests when it comes to threats against the Minister of Justice and the Chief Public Prosecutor, who also oversees the Special Department for High-Tech Crime. For years we have received threats, filed criminal complaints, gone to the police and prosecutor's office, given detailed statements—and nothing. In contrast, when politicians and prosecutors are endangered, the entire process is completed in a weekend. The suspect is arrested, often with media sensationalism, in their underwear, and the footage is immediately shared with tabloids. While we condemn every threat in the strongest terms, we believe that the excessive use of force during arrests and the public humiliation of the suspect are unacceptable. We call on the police and prosecutor's office to protect all citizens of this country equally, regardless of whether they are journalists or state officials,” stated Veran Matić, President of the Board of ANEM, a member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, and operator of the Safe Line for Journalists 0800 100 115.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

The project “Improvement of the Prevention and Response Mechanism in Cases of Threats to the Safety and Lives of Female and Male Journalists in Serbia” is being implemented by ANEM in partnership with Insajder TV and the Center for the Development of Local Media, with the support of the European Union.

The OSCE Mission in Serbia has supported ANEM's project “24/7 SOS Hotline for Assistance to Journalists and Other At-Risk Media Workers,” as part of the EU-funded project “Strengthening Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom in Serbia.”