On 19 September 2024 a threatening message was discovered on a family-owned weekend house under construction, belonging to the sons of Radio-Television of Republika Srpska (Radio Televizija Republike Srpske – RTRS – https://www.rtrs.tv/) journalist Nataša Miljanović Zubac (NMZ @natasa_miljanovic_zubac). The message, “Umri NMZ” (“Die NMZ”), was found on the wall of the house in the village of Ljubomir near Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Miljanović Zubac promptly reported the threat to the police, who then visited the house and informed the on-duty prosecutor of the District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Trebinje. The incident is being treated as a criminal offense under Article 150 of the Criminal Code of Republika Srpska, which relates to “Endangering Safety,” as the Association of Journalists of Serbia (Udruženje novinara Srbije -UNS) reported.
The Trebinje Police Department confirmed that they are continuing to pursue all legal actions in this matter. This is not the first threat Miljanović Zubac has faced. After being publicly insulted by one political leader in Serbia, on the TV show “Good Morning, Serbia” (Dobro Jutro Srbijo) in February 2021, she experienced a series of subsequent attacks. In mid-2022, her car was set on fire in front of her residence, and further threats followed.
Shortly after these attacks, Miljanović Zubac went on sick leave, and after 21 months she started working again this spring. She is still waiting for those who set her car on fire to be punished. The association BH journalists (BH novinari) from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, recall that from 2022 until today, at least 7 criminal acts have been committed in connection with the safety of this journalist.
It’s imperative that authorities in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, treat this latest incident with the seriousness it warrants, considering the broader context of threats and intimidation faced by Miljanović Zubac. Intimidation and threats against journalists are entirely unacceptable, and those responsible for such acts must be held accountable.
You can see the video that Nataša post on her Facebook profile here: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/EM56Pg47WAnPFYxS/?mibextid=WC7FNe
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the recent threat directed at journalist Nataša Miljanović Zubac. Such acts of intimidation against journalists are unacceptable and represent a serious attack on press freedom. We urge the District Public Prosecutor’s Office of Trebinje, Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republika Srpska and all other responsible authorities in Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina to thoroughly investigate this incident and threats from the past, hold those responsible accountable, and ensure the safety of all journalists. SEEMO will be closely monitoring this situation to ensure that appropriate actions are taken.
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.
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