ANEM ALARM: Relevant authorities must urgently investigate new threats to the editorial office of Bečej Mosaic.

Below the video recording from the SNS gathering in Bačko Gradište on the Facebook page of Bečej Mosaic, messages such as "your pants will fall down" and "if you come out to the polling stations, you won't have a good time" were sent to the editorial office by a well-known local citizen. The editor of this media outlet, Kristina Filipčev Demeter, stated that she feels her and her family's safety is at risk, which is why she reported the incident to the police.

ANEM has filed a report with the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime regarding these messages and calls on the relevant authorities to quickly identify those behind these threats, prosecute the perpetrator, and ensure protection for the editorial team of Bečej Mosaic.

This is the fifth case of threats against Kristina Demeter Filipčev. The Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime has determined that in two cases there is no basis for initiating criminal proceedings, one case is currently undergoing evidentiary procedures, and in the fourth case, a request has been sent to the police to gather information about the threat.

We remind you that journalists from local media have recently increasingly been targets of various pressures, threats, and attacks aimed at silencing local voices that are fighting for objective, professional journalism in the public interest.

"Last year was record-breaking in terms of the number of threats, pressures, and attacks on media workers in Serbia, and this trend has continued into the first half of this year. I remind you that since the beginning of 2025, 111 cases of threats against female journalists, male journalists, media workers, and editorial offices have been reported, whose safety has been compromised, and among them, only one has been definitively resolved, which speaks to the almost complete impunity for acts of obstruction and endangerment of journalists' safety. I expect the relevant authorities to start effectively addressing these cases, as they do when similar threats on social media are directed at state officials," stated Veran Matić, President of the ANEM Board of Directors, member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, and coordinator of the Safe Line for Journalists at 0800 100 115.

ANEM also urges all journalists and media representatives to regularly report any form of safety threats while performing their duties, as such instances must be documented and counted to draw the attention of domestic and international public opinion to the pressures that media in Serbia increasingly face.

All journalists have access to a free phone number and direct line from ANEM at 0800 100 115, where media representatives can receive explanations about the legal treatment of offenses and the procedures that should be initiated to report threats to safety to the relevant institutions, police, and prosecutors.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

The project "Improving the System of Prevention and Response Mechanism in Cases of Threats to the Safety and Life of Female and Male Journalists in Serbia" 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 has supported ANEM's project "24/7 SOS Hotline for Assistance to Journalists and Other Threatened Media Workers," as part of the EU-funded project "Strengthening Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom in Serbia."