The journalist section of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists strongly condemns the statement of President Aleksandar Vučić targeting Veran Matić

The journalistic part of the SRG is particularly concerned about the increasing number of campaigns from the highest political positions that aim to undermine the work of those who fight for a safer media environment, which significantly increases the risk of threats and violence against journalists in general.

On July 20^th, President Vučić stated in a television show that those who were „convicted because of Veran Matić“ should have it removed from their records, as well as that Matić should „take them a whiskey or a bottle of wine“ and apologize.

The journalist section of SRG interprets this statement of the president as intimidation and an attempt to influence the work of Veran Matić, as well as the SRG itself, which, according to its mandate, advocates for the protection of journalists and the promotion of media freedom.

The statement of the President of the Republic seriously threatens the safety of Veran Matić because it comes from the highest state position and carries special weight in the public space. Such rhetoric can be interpreted as an incitement to violence and contributes to the creation of a hostile environment for journalists, who are already working in difficult conditions. It is especially worrisome when such messages are sent from a position of power, as they not only delegitimize journalistic work, but also potentially encourage attacks on media workers.

Although it remains unclear who exactly the president was referring to when he mentioned those who were „convicted because of Veran Matić“, the journalist section of SRG reminds that only the courts impose sanctions and that sentencing, i.e. passing judgments, is certainly not within the competence of any individual, excluding of course the judges themselves.

In addition, Veran Matić is also the Chairman of the Commission for the Investigation of Unresolved Murders of Journalists, which was formed in 2012 by the Government of the Republic of Serbia, when the current president held the position of Prime Minister. This Commission, led by Matić, gathered facts and evidence that were sufficient grounds for indictment and initiation of criminal proceedings for the murder of journalist Slavko Ćuruvija, which unfortunately ended with the acquittal of the accused despite the first-instance verdict by which they were sentenced to a total of 100 years in prison.

Journalist and media associations, SRG members, demand from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia to conduct a security assessment of Veran Matić and to determine whether there is currently any threat to his life and body. We remind you that Matić already lived under round-the-clock police protection for six years.

Finally, given that the OSCE Mission in Serbia also participates in the work of the SRG as an observer, we remind you of the Decision on the Safety of Journalists adopted by this organization in 2018, in which political leaders and public officials of member states, including Serbia, are called upon to refrain from intimidation, threats or tolerance of violence against journalists, as well as to unequivocally condemn it.

The SRG – Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, which was founded in January 2017, in addition to representatives of the Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, also consists of six journalist and media associations – the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS), the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS), the Independent Association of Journalists of Vojvodina (NDNV), the Media Association (AM), the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), the Association of Online Media (AOM), as well as the OSCE Mission in Serbia, as an observer.