Serbian Journalists' Groups Condemn Threats, Cite Impunity

Journalists' associations NUNS and ANEM have strongly condemned the latest threats directed at journalist Veran Matić and the news outlet TV N1. They are calling for an immediate and effective response from Serbian authorities to address the escalating situation.

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We will not convey the content of this message, as it would further spread the insults, hate speech, and threats contained within it.

The threats, which included brutal insults, hate speech, and death wishes, emerged in a comment on a news report about a physical assault on Matić outside the Serbian Parliament. This incident is part of a pattern of similar messages targeting Matić, TV N1, and numerous other journalists and media outlets.

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This is a pattern where anonymous individuals, encouraged by the lack of systemic institutional reaction, use digital space to target, intimidate, and draw targets on journalists.

NUNS and ANEM highlighted a campaign in pro-government tabloids that they claim relativized the physical assault on Matić, portraying it as a consequence of his own actions. This type of reporting, they argue, distracts from the violence and the attacker's responsibility, further discredits the victim, and fosters an environment where new threats and attacks are more likely.

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Such reporting not only distracts from the violence and the responsibility of the attackers but also further discredits the victim and creates an atmosphere in which new threats and attacks are more likely.

The associations also pointed to previous threats against N1 journalist Danica Vučenić and her family. They believe these are not isolated incidents but rather consequences of a prolonged atmosphere of impunity, institutional passivity, and the continuous targeting of journalists. NUNS and ANEM demand that the Ministry of Internal Affairs identify the authors of the threats and the perpetrators of the physical assault, and that the prosecution initiate an investigation without delay.

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Therefore, NUNS and ANEM demand that the Ministry of Internal Affairs urgently identify and locate the authors of the threats, as well as the perpetrators of the physical assault on Veran Matić, and that the competent prosecution initiate an investigation without delay and apply all legal mechanisms.