The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) strongly condemns the threats directed at BIRN journalists Gordana Andrić and Jelena Veljković, Professor at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts Ana Martinoli, and IJAS lawyer Rade Đurić, sent by a person who had previously threatened publicly engaged citizens, as well as the threats directed at the N1 newsroom.
On 5 July, Professor Ana Martinoli received a message at her official email address saying: “The Black Hand has marked you, friend”, sent from an email address by a sender signed as “zoranc cvijanovic”.
Yesterday, a threat was sent to BIRN Serbia’s Instagram account, targeting executive editor and journalist Gordana Andrić and journalist Jelena Veljković. The message was sent from the account zoka2807, which uses the name Zoran Cvijanović, and read: “Notify Gordana Andrić and Jelena Veljković that the Black Hand has marked them, friend”.
IJAS lawyer Rade Đurić had also previously received a message on Instagram from the same account, which read: “Read this, the Black Hand has marked you, watch out, friend”.
IJAS warns that this is evidently a person who continues to issue threats without obstruction, targeting journalists, professors, lawyers, activists and other publicly engaged citizens. According to available information, threats had previously been sent from the same account, or by a person presenting themselves in the same way, to professors Smiljana Milinkov and Aleksandra Krstić, as well as journalist Vojin Radovanović.
Given that such anonymous threatening messages have been sent for months to a number of people who speak publicly about issues of public interest, while the competent institutions have still not resolved previous cases, IJAS believes it is necessary for the competent institutions to react urgently and inform the public about all actions taken.
In addition, threats were also sent today to the N1 newsroom below a post on the Instagram account of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM). Under the post titled “In Serbia, only one in five people trusts the media. N1 enjoys the highest trust, Informer the highest distrust”, a comment was posted from the Instagram account lesicslobodan: “Death to N1, they spread lies, they know nothing else, Informer is the only free television where you can hear the truth from the scene, people do not fall for these lies by N1 and Nova S”.
IJAS points out that a message beginning with the words “Death to N1” constitutes a direct threat to the media outlet and the employees of that newsroom, seriously endangering their safety.
It is particularly concerning that the messages use the phrase “Black Hand”, which in this context has an explicitly threatening character and can cause serious fear for the personal safety of those targeted.
Institutions must not allow such threats to become normalised, nor allow the people sending them to remain unpunished.
IJAS demands that the competent institutions take all available measures to determine who is behind these threats, as well as to examine whether the criminal offence of endangering safety has been committed. We also demand that the public be informed whether the previously reported cases are connected, what has been done so far, and why the person sending such messages continues to threaten without obstruction.
We remind the public that the failure of institutions to respond encourages perpetrators and further endangers the safety of journalists, media workers, professors and all citizens who publicly express views on issues of importance to society.
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia
Belgrade, 7 July 2026
