The Independent Journalists Association of Serbia strongly condemns the disturbing, insulting and threatening messages sent to Danas journalist Snezana Congradin, messages that cross all boundaries of normalcy, but are also a signal that journalists have become an open target in a greatly poisoned atmosphere within society.
Snezana Congradin received such messages via the social network Facebook after a statement she gave to the FoNet informative agency. Threats that contain direct messages, but also a number of audio and video recordings, were sent to her by M. Č, team manager of one of the younger selections of the Football Association of Serbia, ie their employee. The Football Association of Serbia distanced itself from its employee, but also pointed out in its statement that it “does not deal with political issues.”
Such disturbing messages and threats addressed to the Danas journalist cannot be part of any “political issue”, but only another part of the continuous call for lynching and open hatred towards journalists who think and write critically.
IJAS informed the Special Prosecutor’s Office for High-Tech Crime about this incident, by filing a criminal report for endangering security, or another criminal offense that is being prosecuted ex officio.
We ask the representatives of the authorities to unequivocally condemn such threats, and we expect the competent institutions to prosecute the person behind them as soon as possible.
IJAS will enter this case in the Database of attacks and pressures on journalists and inform international organizations about it.
IJAS,
November 3, 2021