ANEM: Threats against Vidojkovic and Kulacin continue, no response from authorities

The two latest threats that have been reported to the authorities read: “Frying Antifa terrorists like you two isn’t enough” and “I’ll f*** you, you won’t last much longer,” ANEM said.

It noted that Marko Vidojkovic has already been relocated abroad due to a security risk assessment, with the assistance of the PEN International, a global organization of writers advocating for freedom of speech.

“The messages were sent from Facebook pages where there are also photographs, full names, and the locations of J.D., B.J., and B.R. With this information, the perpetrators of hate speech and threats can easily be identified, and these threats can be sanctioned if the prosecution and police wish to do so,” emphasized Veran Matic, the President of the ANEM Managing Board and member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists.

ANEM calls on the relevant institutions, prosecutors’ offices, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP), to urgently begin responding to all forms of threats to the safety of media workers in Serbia, especially considering that since the beginning of 2025, the number of threats, pressures, and physical attacks on female and male journalists has drastically increased.

By the end of September alone, the Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office had registered 98 cases, 33 more than in the entire previous year, and only one conviction has been issued. According to records from the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS), over 350 cases of threats to the safety of media representatives have been documented.

ANEM urges all relevant institutions, as well as the highest state officials, to publicly condemn such threats and stand up for the protection of journalists, as silence fosters an atmosphere of impunity and normalizes violence against media workers.

“We also call on journalists and media representatives to regularly report any type of threat to their safety while performing their work,” ANEM said.

All journalists have access to the free phone number and direct line of ANEM at 0800 100 115, where media representatives can obtain explanations regarding the legal treatment of offenses and the procedures that need to be initiated to report threats to their safety to the relevant institutions, police, and prosecution.