Serbia: Journalist Jelena Obućina Receives Death Threats From The President's People
Location: Serbia, Belgrade
Date: December 1, 2022
Photo Credit: Ivan Dinić/Nova S
Recent shocking online death threats in Serbia have targeted journalist Jelena Obucina of Nova S TV. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is appalled by the organized troll campaign against Obućina. We condemn these threats against her and demand accountability for the perpetrators.
On December 1, 2022, Jelena Obučina, a journalist of Nova S TV channel, received messages via Twitter, threatening her with “impalement” and stating that she “would be burned”. The horrifying messages were sent following a statement published in the tabloids Alo and Informer falsely accusing Obućina of threatening Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on television and of inciting anti-state propaganda. The journalist's words were deliberately taken out of context.
The eerie text consists of reiterated and in depth details of death threats and sexual violence.
Obućina said that she is threatened by "the president's people". The journalist reported the threats to the authorities, and that she feels disturbed by them. She also firmly believes that the threats are orchestrated because there are no "random attacks" in Serbia.
The papers, Alo and Informer, intentionally and maliciously interpreted the journalist's introduction on "Review of the Day" broadcast on November 29 on Nova S TV, in which she is says in media jargon, informally that Serbian President Vučić will "bury himself" if he doesn't "wise" regarding Kosovo and carrying out sanctions against Russia. The words were twisted into: "Vučić, recognize Kosovo or you will be buried - the media tycoon is again threatening the president of Serbia". This irresponsible, malevolent reporting, therefore, targeted and exposed the journalist to serious danger and harm. What ensued as a result was a series of online death threats.
Obućina has received numerous grotesque insults and threats on social networks, mainly Twitter, and in a particular one she is threatened with beheading and incineration, penned in a disturbing sexualized context.
The president of the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) Željko Bodrožić, said that again, unsurprisingly, the vindictive threats and appalling insults come after government officials and state propagandists habitually concentrate on journalists and their critical comments into character assassinations and conspiracies. Their main focus of these tactics is to discredit the journalist's work.
"Jelena Obučina is now exposed to the organized persecution of the regime and we see how these lies and spins are transmitted to the citizens, who are indoctrinated and really think that the journalist is an enemy of Serbia and the Serbian people and are able to send her such terrible messages" said Bodrožić. "NUNS supports the colleague in her professional work, which is exemplary, and in cooperation with partner associations, we will do everything to protect her and her editorial office", emphasized Bodrožić.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism extends support to Jelena Obučina and strongly condemns these vicious attacks against the journalist and her work. We call on all relevant institutions to respond to this type of condemnation, because threats, harassment and censoring of journalists are repugnant and perilous. Any attack on women journalists is a clear attack on public interest and democracy. A society cannot progress and develop when free press and democratic freedom of expression is under constant scrutiny.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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