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Novinarski deo SRG naročito je zabrinut zbog sve većeg broja kampanji sa najviših političkih pozicija koje imaju za cilj podrivanje rada onih koji se bore za bezbednije medijsko okruženje čime se značajno povećava opasnost od pretnji i nasilja nad novinarima uopšte. 

Predsednik Vučić je 20. jula u jednoj televizijskoj emisiji izjavio da bi onima koji su „osuđivani zbog Verana Matića“ to trebalo da se briše iz evidencije, kao i da bi Matić trebalo „da im odnese viski ili flašu vina“ i da se izvini. 

Ovakvu izjavu predsednika države novinarski deo SRG tumači kao zastrašivanje i pokušaj da se utiče na rad Verana Matića, ali i same SRG koja se po svom mandatu zalaže za zaštitu novinara i unapređenje slobode medija. 

Izjava predsednika republike ozbiljno ugrožava bezbednost Verana Matića jer dolazi sa najviše državne funkcije i nosi posebnu težinu u javnom prostoru. Takva retorika može se shvatiti kao podsticaj na nasilje i doprinosi stvaranju neprijateljskog okruženja za novinare, koji već rade u teškim uslovima. Posebno je zabrinjavajuće kada se ovakve poruke šalju sa pozicije moći, jer one ne samo da delegitimizuju novinarski rad, već i potencijalno ohrabruju napade na medijske radnike.  

Iako ostaje nejasno na koga je predsednik tačno mislio kada je pomenuo one koji su „osuđivani zbog Verana Matića“, novinarski deo SRG podseća da jedino sudovi izriču sankcije te da osuđivanje, odnosno donošenje presuda, svakako nije u nadležnosti bilo kog pojedinca, izuzimajući naravno same sudije.

Pored toga, Veran Matić je i predsednik Komisije za istragu nerazjašnjenih ubistava novinara koju je 2012. godine formirala Vlada Republike Srbije, kada je na poziciji premijera bio današnji predsednik države. Ova Komisija, na čelu sa Matićem, sakupila je činjenice i dokaze koji su bili dovoljan osnov za podizanje optužnice i pokretanje krivičnog postupka za ubistvo novinara Slavka Ćuruvije koji se, nažalost, završio oslobađanjem optuženih uprkos prvostepenoj presudi kojom su osuđeni na ukupno 100 godina zatvora. 

Novinarska i medijska udruženja koja su članice SRG zahtevaju od Ministarstva unutrašnjih poslova Republike Srbije da se uradi procena bezbednosti Verana Matića i da se utvrdi da li u ovom trenutku postoji bilo kakva pretnja po njegov život i telo. Podsećamo i da je Matić punih šest godina živeo pod celodnevnom policijskom zaštitom. 

Na kraju, s obzirom da u radu SRG u svojstvu posmatrača učestvuje i Misija OEBS-a u Srbiji, podsećamo na Odluku o bezbednosti novinara koju je ova organizacija usvojila 2018. godine i u kojoj se politički lideri i javni službenici država članica, uključujući i Srbiju, pozivaju da se uzdrže od zastrašivanja, pretnji ili tolerisanja nasilja nad novinarima, kao i da ga nedvosmisleno osuđuju. 

SRG, koja je osnovana u januaru 2017. godine, pored predstavnika Vrhovnog javnog tužilaštva i Ministarstva unutrašnjih poslova Republike Srbije, čini i šest novinarskih i medijskih udruženja - Udruženja novinara Srbije (UNS), Nezavisno udruženja novinara Srbije (NUNS), Nezavisno udruženje novinara Vojvodine (NDNV), Asocijacija medija (AM), Asocijacija nezavisnih elektronskih medija (ANEM), Asocijacija onlajn medija (AOM), kao i Misija OEBS-a u Srbiji u statusu posmatrača.

The journalist section of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists strongly condemns the statement of President Aleksandar Vučić targeting Veran Matić

Journalists and media associations, members of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists (SRG), condemn the statement of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, which threatens the safety of Veran Matić, member of the SRG and Chairman of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM). 

The journalistic part of the SRG is particularly concerned about the increasing number of campaigns from the highest political positions that aim to undermine the work of those who fight for a safer media environment, which significantly increases the risk of threats and violence against journalists in general. 

On July 20th, President Vučić stated in a television show that those who were "convicted because of Veran Matić" should have it removed from their records, as well as that Matić should "take them a whiskey or a bottle of wine" and apologize. 

The journalist section of SRG interprets this statement of the president as intimidation and an attempt to influence the work of Veran Matić, as well as the SRG itself, which, according to its mandate, advocates for the protection of journalists and the promotion of media freedom. 

The statement of the President of the Republic seriously threatens the safety of Veran Matić because it comes from the highest state position and carries special weight in the public space. Such rhetoric can be interpreted as an incitement to violence and contributes to the creation of a hostile environment for journalists, who are already working in difficult conditions. It is especially worrisome when such messages are sent from a position of power, as they not only delegitimize journalistic work, but also potentially encourage attacks on media workers.

Although it remains unclear who exactly the president was referring to when he mentioned those who were "convicted because of Veran Matić", the journalist section of SRG reminds that only the courts impose sanctions and that sentencing, i.e. passing judgments, is certainly not within the competence of any individual, excluding of course the judges themselves. 

In addition, Veran Matić is also the Chairman of the Commission for the Investigation of Unresolved Murders of Journalists, which was formed in 2012 by the Government of the Republic of Serbia, when the current president held the position of Prime Minister. This Commission, led by Matić, gathered facts and evidence that were sufficient grounds for indictment and initiation of criminal proceedings for the murder of journalist Slavko Ćuruvija, which unfortunately ended with the acquittal of the accused despite the first-instance verdict by which they were sentenced to a total of 100 years in prison. 

Journalist and media associations, SRG members, demand from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia to conduct a security assessment of Veran Matić and to determine whether there is currently any threat to his life and body. We remind you that Matić already lived under round-the-clock police protection for six years. 

Finally, given that the OSCE Mission in Serbia also participates in the work of the SRG as an observer, we remind you of the Decision on the Safety of Journalists adopted by this organization in 2018, in which political leaders and public officials of member states, including Serbia, are called upon to refrain from intimidation, threats or tolerance of violence against journalists, as well as to unequivocally condemn it. 

The SRG - Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, which was founded in January 2017, in addition to representatives of the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, also consists of six journalist and media associations - the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS), the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS), the Independent Association of Journalists of Vojvodina (NDNV), the Media Association (AM), the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), the Association of Online Media (AOM), as well as the OSCE Mission in Serbia, as an observer.