ANEM warns of online threats against Radar weekly

Petricic is known for strong criticism of the Serbian authorities and top state officials in both his cartoons and statements. Radar is a United Media publication also known for its critical attitude towards the authorities.

“Brutal threats directed at the entire editorial team, and especially at the world-renowned cartoonist Dusan Petricic, have arrived at the editorial email address as well as on the Radar portal page. In one of the messages, alongside insults, there are threats of extermination,” an ANEM ALARM press release said.

It said that the emails to Radar include verbal abuse, calling the Radar staff Ustashe (Croatian WW 2 fascists who ran the Jasenovac death camp mainly for Serbs, Jews and Roma – the name has been used as an insult designating anti-government protesters by regime supporters), fecal scum and other equally offensive words and phrases. One of the emails recalled Carlie Ebdo.

ANEM called prosecutors and the police to immediately identify and locate the authors of the threats and provide protection for Radar and its staff. “Those worrying and upsetting threats have unfortunately become customary in regard to journalists. The inefficiency of the police and prosecutors and impunity obviously encourage thugs in increasing their threats to journalists,” it said.

It recalled that there were 45 similar cases of online threats with no court epilogue this year.