Unidentified individuals threw a molotov cocktail through the journalist's window in the early hours of 12 December, then fired shots to prevent his family fleeing the burning house.
This statement was originally published on seenpm.org on 13 December 2018.
The Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS) on Wednesday called for an immediate investigation into the fire in the home of a news portal journalist in a Belgrade suburb.
The UNS statement said the police and prosecution should immediately investigate the circumstances in which the home of Žig Info editor Milan Jovanović burned down and determine whether the incident has anything to do with his work.
The Movement of Free Citizens (PSG) said in a press release that unidentified persons torched the Jovanović home in the Grocka suburb and fired shots at his front door to prevent the family from leaving the house.
The house was set ablaze at around 03:00 am when a Molotov cocktail was thrown through a window, reports N1.
The house was completely burned down together with all of Jovanović’s furniture and his car. Jovanović, who sustained minor injuries, was immediately hospitalized, reported the OSCE in a press release.
Žig info editor Željko Matorčević said that both he and Jovanović had reported threats against them on several occasions but were never told whether an investigation had been launched. Matorčević told the Beta news agency that portal journalists had threats made against them earlier after filing reports on what the local authorities were doing to bring natural gas to the suburb and added that he had been beaten in October, reports N1.
The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, condemned the attack.
“I strongly condemn this terrible act, and urge the law enforcement agencies to swiftly investigate it,” said Désir, “It is important that Jovanović and his family are protected and that the investigation will swiftly and thoroughly uncover the real motives behind this attack.”
Désir recalled that this is not an isolated incident involving journalists from Žig info, noting that editor-in-chief Matorčević had been the victim of a physical attack in October.
Désir stressed the important role of the Permanent Working Group for Safety of Journalists in Serbia in following up on these cases.
