The Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA) strongly condemns the latest dangerous manipulations by the Serbian authorities, led by Aleksandar Vučić, who, faced with large student protests in Serbia, are hysterically searching for foreign enemies to blame for inciting the student uprising. The latest victim of these absurd accusations is our colleague Matej Devčić, a journalist for the portal Telegram.hr, who has spent the past few days in Serbia on a reporting assignment.
Vojislav Šešelj, a convicted war criminal found guilty of crimes against Croats in Vojvodina, appeared on the inflammatory television channel Informer, which routinely demonizes anyone who criticizes Vučić’s regime, and issued a “wanted notice” for our colleague. Šešelj revealed personal information about the Telegram journalist, while the TV station continuously displayed his ID card with a caption reading: “They are training the leaders of the protests.” A similar incident recently happened to a group of Croatian students visiting their peers in Serbia. The level of danger is evident from the fact that the hotel address where our colleague was staying was also published.
Our colleague Devčić, whom we have spoken to, is shocked by these false and dangerous accusations. We are particularly alarmed about how a notorious war criminal and an inflammatory TV outlet obtained his personal data. It is hard to believe they got them without the involvement of Serbian police or intelligence services, which makes the situation even more scandalous and dangerous, as it seriously endangered our colleague’s safety.
Because of this attempt to intimidate a Croatian citizen who was in Serbia on professional duty, CJA will formally request a response from President Zoran Milanović, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Minister of Foreign Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman, and Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen Koržinek. We demand a clear and unequivocal condemnation of this incitement, which could hardly have occurred without the knowledge of Serbian authorities and security services. What happens if, in the future, due to the regime’s panic-driven hysteria, something even worse befalls a Croatian citizen? We will deliver a protest letter to the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Croatia. Additionally, we will notify the European Federation of Journalists and the European Commission about this case.
On behalf of the CJA Executive Committee:
Hrvoje Zovko, President of the Croatian Journalists’ Association
Chiara Bilić, Vice President of the Croatian Journalists’ Association
Dragutin Hedl, Vice President of the Croatian Journalists’ Association