The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) strongly condemns the new threats directed at Veran Matić, Chair of the Managing Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), Nenad Kulačin, journalist and co-author of the TV show “The Good, the Bad, the Evil”, and the editorial team of the portal Mašina, which represent a serious attack on freedom of expression and the safety of journalists in Serbia.
Velimir Bulatović from Vranjska Banja, father of a former MP and dismissed president of the dissolved SNS City Board in Vranje, posted a series of offensive and threatening messages to Veran Matić on his Facebook profile. Bulatović was reacting to Matić’s statement given to the regional news agency JUGpress regarding insults Bulatović had previously directed at journalist Milojko Pantić. In his post, Bulatović suggested that he “has the right to self-defense and will not forgive Matić for spreading falsehoods,” which can be interpreted as a direct threat to Matić’s safety.
The second case concerns Nenad Kulačin, journalist and co-author of “The Good, the Bad, the Evil”, who received a disturbing audio message on Facebook in which a man identified as Saša Trajković hurled vulgar insults and open threats of physical violence. Although not explicitly named, it is clear that the threats also targeted Marko Vidojković, who co-hosts the show with Kulačin.
The message, among other things, stated:
“Hey, you little monkey, what are you babbling about, I’ll f*** your dead mouth, you scum, I’ll f*** your dead bastard family, you and that hairy, bearded monkey of yours, I’ll f*** you both legally, you filth… Who are you insulting, the president of the state? I’ll f*** your dead mouth, your dead bastards…”
The Mašina editorial team also received threats through an Instagram message. The person behind the account “Dusko Leskovac” insulted the journalists and threatened them with death:
“Anti-Serbian scum, the day will come when you will be executed.”
IJAS calls on the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the competent Prosecutor’s Office to immediately initiate investigations and take all necessary measures to ensure that the perpetrators are prosecuted. We remind the authorities that every inadequate response only encourages further violence and reinforces a climate of impunity.
IJAS once again urges the relevant institutions to fully implement their internal procedures, respond swiftly and effectively in such cases, and ensure consistent prosecution of threats and harassment, which increasingly include explicit calls for violence.
We remind that verbal threats and hate speech against journalists constitute criminal offenses, and that the state has a constitutional and legal obligation to ensure conditions in which journalists can work without fear for their personal safety.
Attacks on journalists are attacks on the public’s right to be informed. IJAS will record all three cases in its Database of Attacks and Pressures on Journalists and inform international partner organizations.
IJAS expresses full solidarity with Veran Matić, Nenad Kulačin, and the journalists of Mašina, and emphasizes that attacks on journalists are not only attacks on individuals, but on the very core of a free and democratic society.
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS)
Belgrade, October 21, 2025
