The SafeJournalists Network, the Coalition for Media Freedom, and the Association of Independent Electronic Media (AIEM) strongly condemn the brutal threats made against journalist Nenad Kulačin and his daughter via the social network X, from the account @Alek_Patriota.
After Kulačin posted a comment on the platform yesterday, the user @Alek_Patriota responded with a horrifying message: “We f*** your daughter… you filthy trash.”
Such vile threats and calls for sexual violence against a journalist’s child constitute an extreme violation of safety and a clear attempt at intimidation—not only of Nenad Kulačin, but of all journalists who report critically and express their views publicly.
These threats represent a criminal offense that must be prosecuted. The fact that the threats target a journalist’s child makes this case especially grave. This is a red line that no society must ever tolerate.
The SafeJournalists Network, the Coalition for Media Freedom, and AIEM call on Serbia’s Prosecutor’s Office for High-Tech Crime and the Ministry of Interior to urgently identify and prosecute the individual behind the @Alek_Patriota account and to ensure protection for Nenad Kulačin and his family.
We also urge all relevant institutions and top government officials to publicly condemn these threats and defend journalists, as silence fosters a culture of impunity and normalizes violence against media workers.
The problem of institutional inaction in response to such threats further deepens the atmosphere of insecurity. The impunity for such attacks not only encourages perpetrators but also has long-term and devastating consequences for society as a whole. When institutions fail to respond, it sends a message that violence, misogyny, and hate speech are legitimate means of dealing with dissent. Such an environment undermines public trust in institutions, erodes the rule of law, and renders the fight for fundamental human rights and freedoms meaningless.
Attacks on journalists—especially those involving their family members—pose a direct threat to freedom of expression and fundamental human rights. Such violence must be stopped—decisively, swiftly, and without compromise.
SafeJournalists Network: Association of Journalists of Kosovo, Association of Journalists of Macedonia, BH Journalists Association, Croatian Journalists’ Association, Independent Journalists Association of Serbia, Trade Union of Media of Montenegro
The Coalition for Media Freedom: the Association of Media, the Association of Online Media (AOM), the Independent Association of Journalists of Vojvodina (NDNV), the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS), the Business Association of Local and Independent Media “Local Press”, the Slavko Curuvija Foundation and Branch Trade Union of Culture, Arts and Media ‘Nezavisnost’
The Association of Independent Electronic Media (AIEM)
