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Dear Ivana Vučićević,
Thank you for reaching out and reporting the cases targeting Informer journalists. In order for us to report them on the Mapping Media Freedom Platform — where we systematically track incidents and provide support — our press freedom monitoring officer (copied) needs you to provide additional details and sources. The MFRR’s internal politics require at least two or three sources to be included when publishing the alert.
Here are key questions per case.
1. The vandalism of Dragan J. Vučićević’s family home is very concerning. However, given that his neighbour was also targeted, is there any evidence to suggest that he was specifically targeted because of his work as a journalist? Did he see any suspicious people inspecting the house beforehand? You also mentioned ‘explicit death threats’. Could you please provide me with more information about these threats? Were they made before the incident (online or in person)? If not anonymous, by whom? Did the person(s) who attacked the house leave an explicit message? In order to report their exact content, we would need pictures/screenshots of the threats.
2. Branka Lazic: She actually wrote to me last May after red paint was thrown at her. She sent me a video via WeTransfer, which I missed. It would be great if she could send me the video again and answer my questions from that time.
– Whether you identified the individual(s) who threw the red paint.
– Whether you have filed a complaint.
– You also mentioned a physical attack with solid materials. What happened? Were they different perpetrators? Which objects? And most importantly, have you been injured? And with equipment damaged?
– How did the official prevent you from leaving the spot? Was there any use of force?
We would also need info regarding which incidents you are referring to when stating she was „repeatedly insulted, obstructed, and physically assaulted while reporting from protest sites.“ For your information, the latest incident documented on the MFRR platform in which she was targeted was in November 2024 (verbal abuse: https://www.mapmf.org/alert/32727). The link to the incident was also in the MFRR annual report:
https://europeanjournalists.org/blog/2025/02/12/monitoring-report-2024-1548-media-freedom-alerts-in-the-past-year/
3. Anja Vešović: Was subjected to brutal insults and sabotage despite wearing visible press accreditation – What happened? Who were the perpetrators? And could you tell us which insults?
4. During field reporting in Kosjerić, teams were threatened, their property was damaged, vehicles were scratched, and their work was obstructed – would need more info as well.
Before ending this email, we would like to personally request that no further attacks be directed at IJAS/NUNS, our EFJ affiliate, and our other Serbian members (UNS, Nezvisnost and Sinos) who are doing amazing work to support journalists in Serbia. As stated in our press release that you might have read, there must be no room for smear campaigns or other negative actions that could undermine crucial support for journalists and journalism students. In this emergency situation, solidarity among media representatives is a paramount.
Looking forward to hearing from you regarding the cases,
Best Regards,
Ricardo Gutiérrez
