BELGRADE, 31.08.2018 – Western Balkans Regional Platform for advocacy media freedom and journalists’ safety, which represents more than 8000 members, demand an urgent reaction by competent authorities to locate and punish persons who have threatened colleague Dino Jahic, editor-in-chief of the Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia, in the past few days.
In the past ten days, Dino Jahic and his colleagues from Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia have been constantly exposed to insults that, at one moment, turned into serious death threats. Apart from negative comments, vulgar insults, the messages also contain hate speech regarding the name and origin of colleague Jahić, as well as explicit death threats, e.g. that it should be made a hole in his skull.
This situation in which is Dino Jahic now is a direct consequence of the statements of issued by the president of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, who attacked the editor-in-chief of CINS on August 21, accusing him of leading the center, which, with the financial support of international organizations, demolishes the political structures in the region, without providing any evidence for his dangerous allegations.
„For years, Independent Journalists Association of Serbia demandes from all actors of the political scene to stop threats, humiliation and insults that are directed to journalists because, in addition to endangering the basic principles of free media and democracy, such behavior initiates verbal and threats on social networks, not rarely and attacks on journalists ” said Slavisa Lekic, president of Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia.
Western Balkans Regional Platform for advocacy media freedom and journalists’ safety requires from police and prosecutor office to identify and sanction the persons who threatened colleague Jahic as soon as possible, because any delay in the proper reaction of the competent authorities opens up space for further violence against journalists.
Independent Journalists Association of Serbia (IJAS) registered this case as the 18th attack on journalists in 2018.
The attack and threat to journalists is a direct attack on freedom of expression and the right of citizens to be informed.
Every attack on journalists is an attack on the public interest, democracy and rights of all citizens.
Skopje – Belgrade – Podgorica – Prishtina – Sarajevo – Zagreb, 31.08.2018.
BH Journalists Association
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro
Croatian Journalists’ Association
Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Association of Journalists of Macedonia
Independent Journalists Association Serbia