Serbia: number of internet-based threats against journalists on the rise

Source: Slavko Ćuruvija Fondacija

The analysis also shows a rise in the number of cases of attacks against journalists that have been resolved by court convictions. Of the 97 cases resolved during this period, a guilty verdict was handed down in 22 cases, while four cases resulted in the accused being pronounced innocent. Nonetheless, the largest number of cases are still resolved by the prosecutor deciding to dismiss the criminal complaint – that was how 70 cases concluded.

The analysis showed that threats against media workers made via the internet continue to dominate as the main form of attack against journalists. A worrying trend that was observed sees an 8% drop in the number of cases brought before the Special Prosecution Office for High Tech Crime and a rise in the number of cases under the jurisdiction of other public prosecutor’s offices. While the previous period saw around 16.2% of recorded cases being placed under the jurisdiction of the three basic public prosecutor’s offices in Belgrade, that figure now stands at around 28.8%. This leads to the conclusion that threats against journalists and other media workers are gradually spilling over from the virtual world into real life.

The analysis also encompasses court proceedings for events from previous years that reached their legal culmination during the monitoring period. Of a total of 34 identified court cases with legally-binding conclusions, 26 resulted in convictions, six in acquittals and two brought decisions to impose psychiatric treatment as a safety measure. As many as five of the six acquittals relate to verbal threats received directly.