NUNS: The Center for Social Stability jeopardizes the safety of Veran Matić; we demand urgent action from the institutions.
The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) strongly condemns the threats directed at the President of the Management Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), Veran Matić, by the Center for Social Stability and demands an urgent and decisive response from the competent prosecutor's office.
The statement from the Center for Social Stability, a non-governmental organization close to the authorities, on social media, which states: “If any of you see Veran Matić in the next month or two, tell him he is not the only (pseudo) journalist who has grown a beard and to be a little more patient, the continuation is coming soon…” represents an extremely disturbing threat, which can only be interpreted as an open incitement to violence.
Particularly concerning is the fact that this message clearly invokes the infamous statement by Tomislav Nikolić from 2003, made just before the assassination of Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić. At the same time, the reference to the beard further opens up a chilling allusion to the murdered journalist Slavko Ćuruvija. When such messages are deliberately disseminated in the public sphere, they are not “criticism,” but dangerous targeting and normalization of violence against journalists.
We remind you that the Center for Social Stability is already behind the propaganda content that publicly targeted Veran Matić, after which a campaign of discreditation against him followed in online media. Even more alarming is the announcement from this organization that they will publish similar material about another 45 journalists, male and female, and associates of media and journalism associations.
The NUNS warns that such messages create an atmosphere of fear, incite violence, and directly jeopardize the safety of journalists. Therefore, we demand that the prosecution reacts without delay and holds those responsible accountable.
The failure of institutions to respond to the dangerous campaign and threats directed at Matić, which have been ongoing for a month without interruption, further encourages the perpetrators to continue their actions and seriously endangers his safety. Relevant institutions are obliged to act urgently, conduct a thorough investigation, and provide adequate protection, as otherwise, the problem of impunity deepens and further exacerbates the overall situation.
Any silence from institutions in such cases sends a message that targeting journalists is permissible, and that must not be allowed.
Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia
