January 16, 2024
Reporters Without Borders has condemned what it itself characterised in a statement as “serious death threats” that were sent to the editorial department of Cenzolovka, and welcomed the launching of an investigation by the Special Prosecution Office for High Tech Crime.
Specifically, on 29th December, an individual presenting themselves on Facebook as Milan Spasić commented on a post of the Facebook profile of Cenzolovka – a news portal established by the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation – linking to an article about ways for journalists reporting from protests to protect data contained on their mobile devices from abuse in the case that they are detained or arrested. He posted a comment in which, apart from expletives, he directed threats towards journalists, saying that they should be taken to a basement and “beaten half to death”.
“You should all be killed,” wrote this Facebook user, who also wrote – before later deleting the comment – that “journalists who support the destruction of property and all leftists in Serbia should be summarily executed.”
Cenzolovka reported the threats to the Special Prosecution Office for High Tech Crime, which called on Cenzolovka editor-in-chief Perica Gunjić and journalist Uglješa Bokić to provide statements.
