N1 newsroom received death threats last night in comments on the website. 

In addition to many insults, targeting as traitors and threats that “they know where they (journalists) live and which car they drive” the comment said that “they would kill them all soon”. 

The threat was reported to Special prosecution for high/tech crime. 

Igor Bozic, program director of N1 television, says that in 10 years, out of countless threats, only a few cases have been resolved. “Several years have passed since the last perpetrator was found. Institutions whose duty it is to protect all citizens must have a special sensitivity towards journalists who represent the voice of citizens. It is a small step from threats to physical assault. What should journalists expect when they receive a message that someone is going to kill them, and that same perpetrator claims to know where the journalists live and what cars they drive? In this country, no one was held accountable for three murders of journalists and one planting a bomb in an apartment. We never found out who threatened the editorial office of Danas that they would end up like the journalists of Charlie Hebdo and a number of other drastic examples. My question is, are some people allowed to do anything, even to intimidate journalists who are not in favor of the regime?” Bozic said.

The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) strongly condemns such dangerous threats. The state must urgently send a strong message that this kind of behavior is unacceptable and condemn the threats. Only continuous condemnations and a message to citizens that such threats are unacceptable, along with repressive measures against those who commit them and the resolution of cases, can make such activities have a deterrent effect on those who make threats, and journalists will feel safer.

The SafeJournalists network, which represents media professionals in the Western Balkans, joins its member IJAS and calls on the competent institutions to find the person who left such a comment as soon as possible and to further process this case. The Network also appeals to public officials and politicians to refrain from targeting certain media in Serbia, because their rhetoric encourages individuals to later threaten media in this way. 

The SafeJournalists network will inform relevant national and international stakeholders about this case.

Each attack on journalists is an attack on public interest, democracy and the rights of all citizens.

Pristina – Skopje – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Belgrade – Podgorica, 27.02.2024  

Association of Journalists of Kosovo

Association of Journalists of Macedonia

BH Journalists Association

Croatian Journalists’ Association

Independent Journalists Association of Serbia

Trade Union of Media of Montenegro

Cource: NUNS
Photo: Canva