The owner of OK Radio from Vranje Olivera Vladkovic, was again visited by Dejan Nikolic Kantar, who has been threatening and endangering her property for a long time, only a day after the Working Group for the Safety of Journalists was in Vranje on that very occasion. By the way, at this moment, Nikolić is serving a prison sentence for violent behavior, which he is serving in his house, with permission to leave every day, in order to visit his construction sites, rest or relax.
OK Radio in Vranje and the No Comment cafe, which operates within this media house, have been exposed to serious attacks and threats for months. The threats have been going on since the owner of the radio reported to the inspection an investor who is building next to her facility without the necessary permits. As the inspection stopped the illegal works, the property of the radio was attacked on several occasions.
First, during the night, the windows of the No Comment cafe were broken, then the entire inventory and the interior of the building were sprayed with white paint, after which another person entered the cafe and turned on the speakerphone on his phone, when a third person threatened the employees.
Although the procedure was initiated, another attack happened about ten days ago, when the window of one of the offices was walled up on the outside of OK Radio overnight.
The Coalition for Freedom of the Media welcomes the work of the competent authorities so far, but due to the continuing intimidation and harassment, it demands that they be stopped without delay. The police and the prosecution must ensure the personal safety of everyone and prevent the convicted Dejan Nikolić Kantar or anyone else from intimidating or injuring Oliver Vladković, i.e. employees of OK Radio and the No Comment cafe. The state is obliged to ensure their safety and protect them from the arbitrariness and terror of the perpetrators.
The Coalition for Freedom of the Media gives full support to Olivera Vladkovic and the employees of OK Radio to continue to do their job professionally and responsibly.
The Coalition for Media Freedom consists of the Media Association, the Association of Online Media (AOM), the Independent Association of Journalists of Vojvodina (NDNV), the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS), the Business Association of Local and Independent Media “Local Press” and the Slavko Curuvija Foundation.
June 17, 2022