ANEM ALARM: Urgently sanction the author of threats against former employees at Euronews.
The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) condemns the threats directed at former employees of Euronews, which were made in a comment on the website of the Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS). This association relayed a letter from former Euronews employees stating that the director, Minja Miletić, and the editor-in-chief, Dragana Pejović, are responsible for systematic pressure on journalists, the erosion of professional standards, and the discrediting of that media house. In the comments below the published letter, along with insults, threats of retaliation after the next elections were issued, along with a warning to former employees to be cautious about whether they will be able to live in Serbia with those on the other side.
ANEM joins UNS in calling for the High-Tech Crime Prosecutor's Office (HTCPO) to identify and prosecute the author of the threats which state, among other things: "Be careful what you do, no one's burned until dawn, and neither will yours. If you think you can live here with the other side after the next elections, be careful what you do, otherwise, the revenge will be merciless."
We emphasize that following the parliamentary elections and the decisive defeat of the ruling party, threats against journalists, journalistic associations, and media workers have increased, propagating and calling for revenge. ANEM warns that it is essential for the prosecutor's office and the police to respond as soon as possible and send a clear message in the changed social context that intimidation and endangerment of journalists' safety is unacceptable and punishable by law.
In the period following the elections held on October 25, ANEM reported several instances of death threats, violence, and sexual violence against journalists. In reports to the High-Tech Crime Prosecutor's Office, we requested the identification and prosecution of those responsible, particularly in cases where the identities of the perpetrators and IP addresses are known. We believe that the relevant institutions, particularly in cases of online threats addressed to the HTCPO, must sanction those responsible for endangering the safety of journalists as soon as possible.
Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)
The project "Enhancing the System of Prevention and Response Mechanisms in Cases of Threats to the Safety and Life of Journalists in Serbia" is being implemented by ANEM in partnership with Insider TV and the Center for the Development of Local Media, with support from the European Union.
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