European Journalists Federation Condemns Attacks on Journalists in Serbian Tabloids

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has voiced strong solidarity with Getoarbë Mulliqi, executive director of the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AGK), and Dinko Gruhonjić, program director of the Independent Association of Vojvodinian Journalists (NDNV). Both journalists have become targets of a smear campaign in Serbian tabloids following their analysis of media reporting on confronting the past in the Western Balkans. The EFJ condemned the "political labeling and smear campaigns" against them, highlighting the "new political labeling and long-term smear campaigns" they face.

The regional SafeJournalists network also denounced the attacks, which began with a tabloid article titled "Dinko and the 'Shqiptar' journalist supported the blockaders and attacked Serbia." This piece allegedly subjected the authors to derogatory, ethnically charged, and inflammatory labeling. Mulliqi was reportedly targeted due to her Albanian ethnicity, while Gruhonjić faced political labeling and years of discreditation campaigns. The SafeJournalists network stated that using ethnic insults and discriminatory rhetoric against journalists is unacceptable and dangerous, contributing to an atmosphere of hostility and potential threats to their safety.

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Puna solidarnost sa (Mulići) i (Gruhonjić), koji su suočeni sa novim političkim etiketiranjem i dugotrajnim kampanjama blaćenja

Of particular concern is a statement from Serbia's Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, which reportedly commented on the analysis in a highly negative context, naming its authors. The network considers it inappropriate for a ministry to publicly single out authors and question their credibility, motives, and professional integrity instead of addressing the findings of the research. The SafeJournalists network includes the Croatian Journalists' Association, the Association of Journalists of Kosovo, the Association of Journalists of North Macedonia, BH Journalists Association, the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia, and the Media Union of Montenegro.

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Posebno zabrinjava saopštenje ministarstva informisanja i telekomunikacije Srbije, u kojem se to ministarstvo osvrće na analizu i u izrazito negativnom kontekstu navodi njene autore poimence.