Berlin, February 11, 2025—Croatian authorities must swiftly investigate the recent threat to the staff of weekly newspaper Novosti, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday, after the country’s most prominent Serbian minority newspaper received a letter containing a suspicious powder and referencing a deadly nerve agent.
“Croatian authorities must spare no effort in bringing all perpetrators to justice and ensuring the safety of Novosti’s staff,” said Attila Mong, CPJ’s Europe representative. “Such intimidating attacks create a climate of fear for journalists and can have a chilling effect on press freedom. Authorities must take measures to prevent such threats in the future.”
On February 5, Novosti’s editorial office in the capital, Zagreb, received a letter addressed to the editor-in-chief and referencing the weekly’s recent 25th anniversary. The letter, which contained an unknown powder, referenced “Novichok,” a deadly nerve agent, and accused the newspaper of “Chetnikism” — a reference to the Chetniks, members of a Serbian nationalist guerrilla force.
In May 2024, CPJ reported that Novosti had received dozens of insulting, hateful, intimidating, and threatening messages after parliamentary elections that brought Croatia’s nationalist right-wing party, Domovinski pokret (DP- Homeland Movement), into a coalition government.
Lujo Parežanin, a culture editor for Novosti, told CPJ that on the same day as the letter, a reporter received an email containing insults and derogatory, intimidating comments directed at her and the newspaper.
Police have started an investigation into both threats, Parežanin said, adding that police had charged one person in connection to last May’s attack but that the court proceeding had yet to start in that case.
CPJ emailed the press office of the Zagreb Police Department for comment but did not receive a reply.
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.
CPJ Staff | Radio Free (2025-02-11T18:17:41+00:00) Prominent Serbian minority newspaper receives threatening letter with white powder. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2025/02/11/prominent-serbian-minority-newspaper-receives-threatening-letter-with-white-powder/
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