The SafeJournalists Network strongly condemns the horrific threats made against N1 journalist Danica Vučenić and her family, and calls on the competent institutions in Serbia to react urgently, identify the sender and ensure the protection of the journalist and the N1 newsroom.
According to information published by N1, the television station received a letter sent from Maribor, threatening to kill Danica Vučenić’s loved ones. “We will kill your loved ones, you mare,” the threat reads. N1 reported the case to the police and we expect an urgent response from the authorities.
The SafeJournalists Network warns that threats against family members represent one of the most brutal forms of intimidation of journalists, as they are aimed at silencing them, psychologically breaking them and deterring them from their professional work. Such messages must be treated as a serious attack on the safety of the journalist, her family and the newsroom in which she works.
It is particularly concerning that threats against N1 journalists continue in an atmosphere of increased pressure, targeting and attacks on media reporting on issues of public interest. N1 journalists had previously been exposed to threats and attacks, while the pressure significantly intensified after the collapse of the canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad, the protests that followed and their reporting on these events, as also stated in the report by UN Special Rapporteurs Irene Khan and Gina Romero.
We recall that Danica Vučenić has already been facing various forms of threats and pressure for some time. The attacks also come in the context of targeting campaigns in pro-government media. Such public targeting of journalists additionally exposes them to risk and creates an atmosphere in which threats and violence against media workers are becoming increasingly frequent and dangerous.
The SafeJournalists Network calls on the police, the prosecutor’s office and other competent authorities to treat this case with the utmost seriousness, taking into account the content of the threats, the fact that they are also directed at the journalist’s family, and the broader context of continuous pressure on N1. We expect the institutions to inform the public about the steps taken and to ensure an effective investigation, without delay or relativisation.
Impunity for threats against journalists encourages new attacks and further endangers media freedom. It is therefore the responsibility of the state to demonstrate that death threats against journalists and their families will not go without consequences.
The SafeJournalists Network expresses its full solidarity with Danica Vučenić, her family and the N1 newsroom.
Pristina – Skopje – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Belgrade – Podgorica – Tirana, 12 June 2026
Croatian Journalists’ Association
Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Association of Journalists of Macedonia
BH Journalists Association
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro