ANEM Alarm: Informer has already been mentioned as an "inspiration" for threats
Instead of condemning hate speech and the promotion of violence in tabloids, particularly those of the Informer group, the state leadership is doing everything in its power to protect them.
The testimony of the woman who attacked former dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Natalija Jovanović, with a knife, stating that she was motivated by watching Informer TV, has disturbed both the editorial office and the President of the Parliament.
Last year, Ana Lalić Hegediš received dozens of morbid, misogynistic threats and disturbing messages online, through social media, and Telegram groups. From her Facebook account "Sacha Paris," she received the following messages via Messenger: "I will... you and all your close ones up to the fifth generation," "I will kill your husband...," "Personally," "You will soon leave Serbia when I tell you, just to see where you are moving," "You are embarrassing Serbia in Croatia," "Churches bother you," and a message sent to journalist Dinko Gruhonjić: "What do you think I will do to make you smile on your neck?"
According to the information Ana Lalić Hegediš received from the prosecutor's office, the accused, S.I. from Smederevska Palanka and Paris, where he has French documents under the name I.A., confessed to the crime and stated that he was influenced by the news he had read.
In an article in the Danas newspaper, Ana Lalić writes: "Now those (who do not read Danas) will say: they arrested such a man because of some pathetic journalist. And they will be partially right. Saša was not arrested because of the journalist, but he was arrested because of Informer. As it turned out in the premises of the VTK (Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime), 'Sasha Paris,' also known as Saša I in his hometown, deeply regretted during the interrogation after his arrest that he planned to personally harm my husband, and stated that he fell into this temptation because he was in distant Paris, and pressed by nostalgia, 'reading Informer.' This is, according to his lawyer's words, the official defense of Saša I. Saša deeply and sincerely regretted that he read Informer. The newspaper, which clearly is not satisfied with daily manipulation, deception, and dumbing down of its readers, now guarantees them an electronic monitoring device..."
This text was published on April 6, 2024, a few days after Saša I. was arrested while coming for the Easter holidays.
After being detained, the court decided to allow him to await trial at home with an electronic monitoring device. It turned out that Saša I. took advantage of this and escaped, and the authorities at the Administration for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions did not notice it.
From July 2024 until today, the relevant institutions of Serbia, primarily the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the competent court, have not determined the whereabouts of Saša I., or Ilbert A., although representatives of the French embassy have stated that they are cooperating.
It is evident that Saša I. had support from the system to remove the electronic monitoring device in such a way that it was not immediately recorded, allowing him to leave the country. It is also clear that there is obstruction in the search for Saša I.
ANEM demands from the Ministry of Justice and other relevant institutions to publish all information on what actions have been taken regarding the Interpol warrant (we received information from representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that it has been issued), as well as why there was no adequate cooperation from Serbian authorities to help them prosecute Saša I.
We remind you that Ana Lalić Hegediš had to leave the country with her family due to these threats, returned when Saša I. was arrested, and for an entire month did not know, just like the public, that Saša I. had removed his electronic monitoring device and that his whereabouts were unknown, meaning he could carry out his threats.
Veran Matić, President of the ANEM Management Board and Member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists
The project "System for the Prevention of Violence and Protection of Journalists" is implemented by ANEM in partnership with Insajder TV and the Center for the Development of Local Media, with the support of the European Union and the Balkan Fund for Democracy.
