In the first week of 2025, a series of threats and disturbing messages and pressures on journalists and media outlets emerged.

From the records of the SOS telephone operators "Safe Line" (0800 100 115), coordinated by ANEM, we highlight the case of threats reported against the chief and responsible editor of Insajder TV, Brankica Stanković. On the X platform (formerly Twitter), she received two messages that quoted disturbing and threatening lines from a song sung by fans as a threat, for which one of the fan leaders was sentenced to prison. These threats were made following a negative comment by Zvezdan Terzić, the general secretary of Crvena Zvezda, regarding the Insajder series on football mafia, and Brankica Stanković's response. Due to these threats, the chief and responsible editor of Insajder TV has been under constant police protection for over seven years.

On the same platform, journalist Radmilo Marković from the weekly Vreme and BIRN received a disturbing and threatening message for the second time in a direct message on his X account from an anonymous account.

The tabloid Informer has once again targeted Dinko Gruhonjić with falsehoods, now also involving his son with dangerous accusations that jeopardize their safety. Nenad Kulačin and Marko Vidojković received two threats on the Facebook profile and YouTube account of the show "Dobar, loš, zao," one of which stated, "You should be thrown into a meat grinder and turned into soap, you unfortunate ones." Due to these threats, Marko Vidojković has been relocated abroad, while for personal reasons, Nenad Kulačin has been unable to protect his safety in this way. A large number of threats they received remain undisclosed and unpunished.

The center of Novi Sad has been plastered with stickers containing threats to journalists. The message "The Fate of Journalists," featuring a drawn skeleton and a noose for hanging, is signed by the organization Zentropa, which presents itself as "a community of Serbian revolutionary nationalists," known for their revisionist activities.

The most extensive operation targeting journalists at the turn of the old year into the new year involved the writing of offensive graffiti throughout Belgrade against Zoran Kesić, the author and host of the show "24 Minutes with Zoran Kesić." Hundreds of graffiti have been written since December 26, including on buildings near his apartment and his parents' apartment. Despite Kesić's report to the police and the criminal and misdemeanor reports submitted by ANEM to the Ministry of the Interior, and despite numerous locations covered by cameras, there have been no results in identifying the perpetrators so far.

At the end of the first week of this year, Saša Mirović, who threatened journalist Jelena Spasić from Kurir and was placed under house arrest until his trial, has left his place of residence, and since December 28, his whereabouts are unknown. Mirović had previously been convicted as a juvenile for serious murder, which was later reclassified to exceeding necessary self-defense. It is a very dangerous and disturbing fact that this man is free, primarily for the colleague he threatened and her family. This is the third time in the past year and a half that a suspect under house arrest has removed his ankle monitor and escaped. In the first two cases, they fled the country and have not yet been brought to justice, and in this case, since December 28, the suspect has been at large while the journalist is unprotected.

In the past year, there has been an increase in cases of endangerment of journalists' safety that remain unresolved, while at the same time, the number of convictions against professional journalists and media outlets is rising, as is the number of SLAPP lawsuits filed by holders of executive and even judicial authority, as well as the number of threats and attacks on female journalists. Simultaneously, there is a long-term trend of decline for our country on international rankings of freedom of speech and democracy, which will continue with such poor results.

Relevant institutions such as the police, prosecutor's offices, and courts must be much more efficient in protecting freedom of speech and the media, ensuring the safety of journalists as pillars of a democratic society. Representatives of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, along with other public officials and politicians, must demonstrate responsibility in their statements.

Veran Matić

President of the ANEM Management Board