The editorial office of the daily newspaper and portal Danas received a threat to set the editorial office on fire in the comments. In response to the news titled "The solution for NIS is only temporary: If the buyer ends up being MOL, Serbia faces a 'Croatian scenario,'" a threat was sent from the account "Brine" containing the following message: "How can you not be ashamed to gloat over the misfortune that has befallen us? WE NEED TO THROW EXPLOSIVES ON DANAS" (errors are in the original message).
The threat was reported to the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime by Veran Matić, a member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists and an operator on the Safe Line 0800 100 115, where threats and attacks against journalists can be reported.
In the report, Matić wrote: “We note that this editorial office (Danas) and its journalists are frequent targets of threats and physical attacks, including threats of mass murder in a terrorist attack, as was the case with the Charlie Hebdo editorial office. This threat has not been uncovered despite significant international efforts. Due to the nearly complete impunity, the journalists of this editorial office work under constant fear of possible attacks. Therefore, we ask that you consider this report as urgent.”
The past year has been record-breaking in terms of the number of threats and attacks on journalists. There has been a particular increase in the category of physical attacks, as well as online threats.
“The media community, which is under attack from online threats, is particularly concerned about the large number of unresolved cases, as well as prosecutions that generally do not lead to convictions. We have repeatedly warned about the unequal treatment of threats directed at the president and representatives of the executive and legislative authorities, which are usually addressed urgently, while the majority of threats against journalists do not undergo judicial prosecution. The capacity of the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime is severely limited in terms of the number and qualifications of prosecutors, which certainly needs to be changed as soon as possible to strengthen this important part of the judicial system,” stated Veran Matić, President of the Management Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM).
Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)
The project "System for the Prevention of Violence and Protection of Journalists" is being implemented by ANEM in partnership with Insider TV and the Center for the Development of Local Media, with the support of the European Union.
The OSCE Mission in Serbia supported ANEM's project "24/7 SOS Hotline for Assistance to Journalists and Other Vulnerable Media Workers," as part of the EU-funded project "Strengthening Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom in Serbia."
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