Attacks and threats to journalists, Marko Somborac, Goran Rajšić, Nikola Vitković, Andrej Vojković i Dalibor Novak, Zemun, 12.10.2020.

Translations: Beograd 

Comic artists and media workers Marko Somborac, Goran Rajšić, Nikola Vitković, Andrej Vojković and Dalibor Novak received a large number of verbal threats, direct physical attack on their property and intrusion into the comic book exhibition organized on October 12, 2020 between October 10 and 14. in the Old Captaincy Gallery in Zemun.

The artists were verbally threatened in various ways before, during and after the exhibition they organized. In the evening during the exhibition, a group of 10 to 15 masked persons physically broke into the space of the Old Captaincy, damaged and destroyed the exhibition. After the exhibition, the artists experienced numerous threats and insults on social networks through direct messages and comments on the social networks Facebook and Twitter.

According to the artist’s testimony, the police reacted very slowly to the physical intrusion on the exhibition. According to information from October 15, some of the suspects in the intrusion were arrested and after two months they were convicted on the basis of a plea agreement. On the other hand, victims still do not know about identity of their attackers and there is the fact that organizers of the attacks are still free.

Few days after the attack, Ministry of culture putted the press statement were they practically explained that the artists should not organize that kind of the exhibition. Media workers than filled criminal report for endangering of the safety. Report was rejected in February 2021.

Due to the received threats on social networks, the artists filed a criminal complaint with the competent Special Prosecutor’s Office for High-Tech Crime.