
The Coalition for Media Freedom and the SafeJournalists Network have called on the relevant authorities to take all necessary actions within their jurisdiction to address the threats against Ana Lalic Hegedis, president of the Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina (IJAV), and the physical assault on Nova.rs journalist Ana Markovic.
The Coalition for Media Freedom, which comprises several Serbian media associations, and the SafeJournalist Network, consisting of media associations from the Western Balkans, also called on authorities to resolve these cases as quickly as possible.
“It is especially important that the case of direct threat of death be urgently processed and resolved, bearing in mind the previous experience and mistakes of the competent authorities that enabled the escape of the accused from house arrest. In this way, the judiciary must send a direct message to the attackers that death threats and physical attacks cannot and will not go unpunished,” said the press release.
They noted that threats are increasingly followed by offensive sexist comments, which are becoming an almost regular form of hate speech addressed to female journalists.
“Although they produce enormous consequences, such cases unfortunately remain in the shadow of more serious threats and attacks, they are not sufficiently recognized by the competent institutions and there is no responsibility for them,” said the press release.
Ana Lalic Hegedis received a threat via Facebook, and it was reported to the Special Prosecutor’s Office for High-Tech Crime.
Along with the death threat, the journalist was addressed with an offensive sexist word. Namely, the person behind the account, Milenko Protic, sent a message to the journalist on Wednesday with the following content: “B**ch, you will be slaughtered.” IJAV’s lawyer reported the threats to the Special Prosecutor’s Office for High-Tech Crime, which responded that they would investigate the case that the day.
Ana Lalic Hegedis says that it is not uncommon for her to receive threatening messages and that she does not know what could provoke such a threat.
“We react when there is a direct death threat like this, so the IJAV’s lawyer immediately reported the threat. I just got a call from the High-Tech Crime Squad, who, they say, will order the police to investigate the whole case within the day. As I said, unfortunately, this is more or less one of the average days in my life in the last couple of years”, said Ana Lalic Hegedis.
She added that she has the impression that the institutions are finally taking threats to journalists more seriously and that they are reacting quickly, but that things get stuck when the perpetrators need to be found and arrested.
Nova S journalist Ana Markovic was attacked on Friday at the Stop, Serbia! rally near the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in New Belgrade, where a fight broke out between demonstrators and drivers.
As a sign of protest, the citizens blocked the intersection near the Faculty for 15 minutes, which provoked the reaction of some car drivers. One of the angry drivers punched the Nova.rs journalist who was recording the event with his fist on the forearm and knocked her phone onto the ground.
“People who paid their respects jumped to my defense, saying ‘leave’ the girl alone. Those gathered tried to explain to the drivers why they stopped on the street, but someone started hitting them again, and then retreated. Despite the circumstances, none of the people present moved from their place,” said Ana Markovic.