Serbia: escalating threats and attacks against journalists in Novi Sad
OBCT shares media freedom partner organisations’ concerns on the the escalation of threats and violence suffered by journalists in Novi Sad, northern Serbia, and urges competent authorities to promptly investigate these cases
Serbia-escalating-threats-and-attacks-against-journalists-in-Novi-Sad
Novi Sad City Hall
Credits: Srdjan Randjelovic via Shutterstock
In just ten days, no fewer than seven journalists have faced threats and assaults in the city of Novi Sad alone. Whether it is physical assaults, verbal abuse, online harassment or death threats, the ability of Serbian journalists to do their job is severely compromised and their safety is at risk.
On 8 March 2024, journalists from Tanjug and Kurir Television, along with 021.rs radio, were verbally assaulted while covering a demonstration supporting Ana Mihaljica, whose three children were temporarily taken away from her by the Novi Sad Centre for Social Work. During a live broadcast on Tanjug, reporter Saลกka Drobnjak was interrupted by a woman claiming to be Mihaljica’s lawyer and threatening the journalists, whom she accused of lying. A Tanjug photographer, a Kurir correspondent, and ลฝarko Bogosavljeviฤ of Reporter 021 were also verbally abused. According to the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS), the police present did not intervene to prevent interference in the journalists’ work. N1 correspondent Ksenija Pavkov also received numerous online insults and threats of physical violence for her coverage of the demonstration.
That same week, two other journalists and leaders of the Vojvodina Association of Independent Journalists (NDNV), Ana Laliฤ Hegediลก and Dinko Gruhonjiฤ, received thousands of online death threats sent via social media and email. Ana Laliฤ Hegediลก has been the target of terrifying death threats including some of a sexual nature and insults, also directed at the NDNV she leads, for comments she made on nationalism at the "Rebedu" festival in Dubrovnik where she was invited as a panellist.
Since 14 March 2024, her colleague Dinko Gruhonjiฤ, journalist lecturer at Novi Sad University and program director of NDNV, has feared for his life and those of members of his family. Gruhonjiฤ has been the target of a public lynching campaign including threats of physical violence since the publication of a video montage with excerpts from his performance at the Rebid festival in Dubrovnik last year. The montage was manipulated to give the impression that Dinko was expressing his satisfaction at sharing a name with the Ustasha criminal Dinko ล akiฤ. NDNV reported these threats to the high-tech crime prosecutor’s office and, for some of them, provided the details of the perpetrators who signed with their names.
โWe have been under attack with the Association for decades. But this time, it’s the greatest pressure ever. Who knows what will happen to usโ worries Laliฤ, while Gruhonjiฤ deplores the "policy of impunity when it comes to threats against the independence of the press in Serbia, even when the perpetrators are not anonymous".
"The number of threats and insults against journalists is on the rise in Serbia. Knowing that Serbia is a country where the three murders of journalists in the last three decades have not been punished, we are very worried about every threat against journalists that goes unresolved," said Tamara Filipoviฤ, project manager of the Association of Independent Journalists of Serbia (NUNS).
On 15 March 2024, a resident of Novi Sad filed criminal complaints against Gruhonjiฤ and Laliฤ for allegedly inciting racial, religious, and national hatred and intolerance during their participation at the forum in Dubrovnik. "We have serious reasons thinking the plaintiff is connected to members of the ruling Serbian Progressive Partyโ declared Gruhonjiฤ. Some politicians have revived the insults in public debates .
We join the Safe Journalists Network in calling on officials to refrain from targeting the media in Serbia. Their hostile rhetoric legitimises and normalises verbal and physical violence against journalists and media workers. We urge authorities to guarantee a safe environment for journalists, allowing them to work without fearing for their lives, and to put an end to the unacceptable culture of impunity by systematically investigating attacks and complaints.
Signed:
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
OBC Transeuropa (OBCT)
International Press Institute (IPI)
Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
Safejournalists network
