We demand an urgent response from the authorities in Serbia regarding the brutal threats made against journalist Nenad Kulačin and his daughter.

After Kulačin posted a comment on that network yesterday, user @Alek_Patriota left a horrifying response: "We’ll f*** your daughter! With a baton, you filthy trash."

Such cruel threats and calls for sexual violence against a journalist's child represent the grossest possible violation of safety and an attempt to intimidate, not only Nenad Kulačin but also all journalists who report critically and publicly express their opinions.

These threats constitute a criminal offense for which there must be accountability, and the fact that the threats pertain to a journalist's child adds further gravity to this case. This represents a red line that no society should tolerate.

The SafeJournalists network, the Coalition for Media Freedom, and ANEM demand that the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia urgently identify and prosecute the person behind the @Alek_Patriota account and ensure the protection of Nenad Kulačin and his family.

We also call on all relevant institutions, as well as the highest state officials, to publicly condemn such threats and stand up for the protection of journalists, as silence fosters an atmosphere of impunity and normalizes violence against media workers.

The problem of ineffective institutional responses to such and similar threats further deepens the atmosphere of insecurity. Impunity for such attacks not only encourages perpetrators but also has long-term and devastating consequences for society as a whole. When institutions do not react, a message is sent that violence, misogyny, and hate speech are legitimate means of dealing with dissenters. Such an environment undermines citizens' trust in institutions, erodes the rule of law, and renders the struggle for basic human rights and freedoms meaningless.

Attacks on journalists, especially involving family members in intimidation, directly threaten freedom of expression and fundamental human rights. Such violence must be decisively, swiftly, and uncompromisingly stopped.

SafeJournalists network: Association of Journalists of Kosovo, Association of Journalists of Macedonia, Association of BH Journalists, Croatian Journalists' Association, Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia, Media Union of Montenegro

Coalition for Media Freedom: Media Association, Association of Online Media (AOM), Independent Journalists’ Society of Vojvodina (NDNV), Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS), Business Association of Local and Independent Media "Local Press," Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation, and GS KUM Independence

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)