At the basketball game Partizan-Buducnost, which was played on May 22, the same chanting was heard again against the editor-in-chief of Insider Television, Brankica Stankovic, as in 2009.
As stated on the portal Insider.net, none of the authorities reacted, although the event took place in front of a full hall and was broadcast on television.
“What happened on Saturday, at the Aba league basketball match between Partizan and Buducnost, showed that time has passed, but that some things have remained unchanged. The hooligans chanted intimidation messages to Brankica Stankovic again”, it is written on the Insider’s site.
The insider’s series “Powerlessness of the State” from 2009, which talks about the powerlessness of institutions before hooligans and their connection with crime, was again broadcast on Insider Television as part of the cycle “Lessons and Reminders”, followed by derogatory chanting from the stands.
The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) condemns the intimidation of journalists in every sense, especially if it comes from hooligans who pose a danger to society as a whole.
We call on the competent authorities to react to the intimidation and insult of journalist Brankica Stankovic, because non-reaction encourages the actors of this incident to continue with even more brutal intimidation, which can seriously endanger the safety of a journalist who does her job professionally and responsibly.
We call on the leaders of the ABA League and the Partizan Basketball Club to bear responsibility, to fence themselves off and condemn the scandalous chanting so that it would not be repeated at future sporting events.
Due to explicit threats sent to her in the same way in 2009, Brankica Stankovic lived under police escort for years.
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS)
26 May 2022
