ANEM ALARM: Unacceptable attempt to persecute Nemanja Šarović for comments made under a post on Instagram.

It is alleged that the interference with justice occurred due to "offensive and derogatory" comments made by unidentified individuals under Šarović's post on his Instagram account, directed against the prosecution in Zrenjanin and against public prosecutor Dragana Mojsin, thereby allegedly hindering her work.

So far, there has been no recorded case in which someone has been held criminally responsible for comments written by others, often anonymous users. It is clear that this is a persecution of a political dissenter and an attempt to establish a dangerous practice that violates the Constitution and laws, as such a precedent would mean the curtailing of freedoms on social media through penal policy and the introduction of new practices for dealing with those who think differently.

According to Šarović: "If this precedent becomes the rule, the consequences will be worse than shutting down social media, as the potential for abuse by the prosecution is enormous. Any post on social media could become a target for bot-generated, offensive, and derogatory comments, which would then serve as grounds for the persecution of regime opponents."

Regarding the possibilities of abuse, attorney Rodoljub Šabić stated in a post on X: "Does the prosecution really want to affirm the position that the author of a post on social media can be held responsible for comments written by others below that post? If they succeed in this, is the next phase to simply organize the writing of 'favorable' comments?"

Over a longer period, various initiatives have emerged with the intent to censor and control social media—essentially the space of freedom they provide.

"This is a matter of 'malicious intent,' as the prosecutor and the prosecution know that if a criminal act exists, they should prosecute the one who wrote the threatening or insulting messages. The right authority for such cases is the High-Tech Crime Prosecutor's Office, which should determine whether a criminal act has been committed and, if so, identify the perpetrator. During 2025, journalists sent 64 criminal complaints to this prosecutor's office, and none have been prosecuted. We must prevent this yet another attempt to endanger freedoms and the legal order," stated Veran Matić, president of the Management Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), member of the Permanent Working Group for Journalist Safety, and operator on the Safe Line for Journalists 0800 100 115.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

The project "System for the Prevention of Violence and Protection of Journalists" is implemented by ANEM with partners 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 Vulnerable Media Workers" within the project funded by the European Union "Strengthening Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom in Serbia."