US Ambassador gets death threats after visit to Novi Sad Faculty of Philosophy

The Novi sad Autonomija (Autonomy) portal reported that the messages on social networks read “A Bullet for Both,” and “A Hawthorn Stake for Both.”

The Faculty of Philosophy said Ambassador Hill visited its Media Studies Department, met with the dean and vice-dean for international cooperation, and then toured the multimedia TV studio, built with the US Embassy’s assistance.

It added that Hill also spoke with the teaching staff and students about the state of media freedom in Serbia and about the threats against Novi Sad journalists, professors and students.

Ambassador Hill also discussed this topic with Department of Media Studies Professor Dinko Gruhonjic, recently targeted by threats, and gave an interview to the student website, whose formation was also supported by the US Embassy.

Gruhonjic has been accused of hate speech based on an edited video from a panel discussion in Dubrovnik a year ago, where he allegedly praised a World War II war criminal Dinko Sakic. The professor strongly denied this accusation, emphasizing that, throughout his career, he has fought against nationalism and glorification of policies of war crimes in the region.