ANEM ALARM: New death threats to Marko Vidojković on Facebook

Vidojković received messages in his inbox from the Simic Dobri account, which read: "I f*** your Ustasha mother" and "I f*** your filthy mother, you smelly piece of s***, I will f*** your mother, you will recognize Kosovo, or will you sell me my house? I will set you on fire, you Ustasha b****."

ANEM assesses that such a direct threat constitutes an endangerment of Marko Vidojković's safety and calls on the relevant authorities to urgently identify and prosecute the perpetrator.

We remind that Vidojković and his colleague Nenad Kulačin are among the most exposed media workers in Serbia when it comes to death threats received on social media. Since 2019, nearly 30 cases have been initiated in the prosecutor's offices regarding threats against the two of them, most of which remain unresolved.

"Living under constant threats and with compromised safety places significant pressure on journalists, affecting their mental health and concerns for their own safety and that of their families. Accumulated unpunished threats also lead to the necessity of relocating families or withdrawing from journalism, self-censorship, which we have been witnessing for several years. At this moment, six journalists have been relocated from Serbia to other countries and are living in exile due to safety concerns. These trends must be stopped, which is only possible through effective investigations and strict penalties for perpetrators," stated Veran Matić, President of the ANEM Board, member of the Permanent Working Group, and coordinator of the Safe Line for Journalists at 0800 100 115.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

The project "Enhancing the System of Prevention and Response Mechanisms in Cases of Threats to the Safety and Lives of Female and Male Journalists in Serbia" 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.

The OSCE Mission in Serbia has 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 Freedom of Media in Serbia."