ANEM welcomes the apprehension of those suspected of threatening the safety of Brankica Stanković.

ANEM submitted a report to the competent prosecutor's office after offensive and threatening chanting directed at Brankica Stanković was heard during the basketball match "Partizan – Olimpija Cedevita" held on June 6, 2023, at the Belgrade Arena. ANEM stated in the report that the fans, who can be easily identified given the large number of cameras covering the Arena, jeopardized the safety and security of journalist Stanković. We requested that the competent prosecutor's office take action and prosecute those responsible, which is why we welcome the decision of the Third Basic Public Prosecutor's Office to issue an order for the detention of the suspects.

“Although the detention of several suspects for endangering Brankica Stanković's safety occurred with a delay, I believe it is very important that the Third Basic Public Prosecutor's Office recognized the danger of attacks on journalists and reacted as soon as a broader social context was established. It is now extremely important that other reports, which have remained unresolved for years, are processed in the same manner, as the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists requested a few days ago. It is vital that independent state institutions, such as the prosecutor's office and the police, send a message to all who have threatened and endangered journalists that such behavior is punishable and that all those responsible for attacks and intimidation will be sanctioned,” said Veran Matić, President of the Board of ANEM and member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists (SRG).

We add that, as stated in the announcement from the Third Basic Public Prosecutor's Office, “police officers detained and kept D.M. and R.R. for questioning upon the order, while a search was issued for suspects S.S., O.I., and A.N., considering that they are at large.” The suspects D.M. and R.R. will be questioned by the public prosecutor of the Third Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade on Thursday, November 12, 2026, while the police have been instructed to intensify search measures for the remaining suspects and to detain them for questioning immediately upon their discovery. The SRG, which was established in January 2017, consists of representatives from the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, as well as six journalistic and media associations - the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), the Independent Journalists' Society of Vojvodina (NDNV), the Media Association (AM), the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), the Association of Online Media (AOM), as well as the OSCE Mission to Serbia in an observer status.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

The project “Enhancement of the Prevention and Response Mechanism in Cases of Threats to the Safety and Lives 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.