ANEM ALARM: New wave of threats and targeting of journalist Igor Velić from Bor
Journalist Igor Velić from Bor has received a new wave of death threats on social media, following the reporting of a series of threatening messages to the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime a few days ago.
Veran Matić, chairman of the Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, and operator of the Safe Line for Journalists at 0800 100 115, has once again filed criminal complaints with the prosecutor's office.
This time, a threat arrived to Velić from a Facebook profile named Ika Mijatov, stating: "liquidate, why not? no harm," and from a profile named Radjen Milan: "He should be lynched, what kind of monkey is that, the junkie who he is, as if someone is afraid of him, that’s how those Piculić traitors are."
These threats were posted as comments under a video on the Facebook page “Borski blok.” On that page and the same-named Instagram profile, an animated video appeared, in which statements and photographs are edited to distort words and facts, targeting Velić and ridiculing him. This endangers the safety of Igor Velić, who reported the threats and targeting to the Police Administration in Bor.
The following day, the same pages published a second part of the video, in which Velić is again targeted and threatened with permanent detention. Unsubstantiated claims are made that he is a manipulative person, that he wants to destabilize Serbia, suggesting in the animations that he is in prison, that he holds a knife, and that he is an alcoholic. The video also implies that Velić is being followed and stalked, and his photograph with his fiancée in a restaurant has been published. This case has also been reported to the Police Administration in Bor.
“I call on the relevant authorities to establish the identity of the individuals threatening Igor Velić with death, and who, through the pages of ‘Borski blok,’ are practically subjecting him to lynching by spreading lies and serious accusations without any basis in reality. In the coming months, elections will be held in Bor, and the electoral campaign has already begun with 'dirty' and dangerous actions like this, making it very important for an effective investigation to identify and sanction the perpetrators,” stated Veran Matić.
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 Insajder 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 Helpline 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."
