The newsroom of the N1 portal received a death threat last night in comments on the website.
The threat came in a comment on a text about the stay of the President of Serbia in America on the occasion of the United Nations Security Council session on Kosovo, after which the Serbian delegation started lobbying in connection with the Resolution on Srebrenica. After a series of insults, that (N1 journalists) are the “worst gang”, “paid traitors from foreign powers” and accusations that they “have long been publicly speaking out against the Serbian people and the authorities”, the newsroom was threatened that they would soon be liquidated, neutralized and that nothing will remain of them. Also, the comment states that “there are more villains”, and the media Nova S and Danas are also mentioned. IJAS reported the threat to the Prosecutor’s Office for High-Tech Crime.
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) appeals to the competent institutions to act urgently and solve this case. Not for the first time this year, IJAS warns about the frequency of threats and attacks against journalists of N1 media and points out that the lack of reaction of competent institutions gives bullies the wind to intimidate and even physically attack journalists. This time journalists were directly threatened. IJAS emphasizes that in the threats and insults directed at journalists, there is a noticeable pattern used by high government officials when they target journalists of certain media, and therefore IJAS calls on them to answer their questions instead of settling accounts with journalists.
The SafeJournalists network, which represents media professionals in the Western Balkans, joins its member IJAS and calls on the competent institutions to quickly find and sanction the person who sent the threats and thus send a clear message to protect journalists.
The SafeJournalists Network will inform relevant national and international stakeholders.
Each attack on journalists is an attack on public interest, democracy and the rights of all citizens.
Pristina – Skopje – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Belgrade – Podgorica, 26.04.2024
Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Association of Journalists of Macedonia
BH Journalists Association
Croatian Journalists’ Association
Independent Journalists Association of Serbia
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro