Brankica Stankovic Threats: Prosecutors Order Police Probe
Prosecutors have told police to establish what happened at Belgrade Arena on November 6 and to identify suspects in the endangerment of the safety of Insajder's editor.
Belgrade’s Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office has asked police to gather the necessary information about what happened on November 6, 2026, when fans in the stands of Belgrade Arena chanted threats at journalist and Insajder editor Brankica Stankovic during the basketball game between Partizan and Maccabi.
Police are to establish all the circumstances and identify suspects so they can be prosecuted for endangering the safety of B. S., the prosecutor’s office said. So far it has not said who the chanting fans were, or whether any of them has already been identified.
What did the Journalists’ Association of Serbia demand?
The Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS) condemned the threatening and sexist chanting on November 7 and called for an urgent response from police and prosecutors. In its statement, it noted that Belgrade Arena is covered by cameras, which could make it easier to identify and prosecute those responsible for endangering a journalist’s safety.
UNS also urged the clubs and the game’s organizers to condemn the threats and the insults against the journalist in clear terms. Intimidation of and threats against journalists, the association said, must have appropriate consequences.
Why does UNS bring up 2009?
According to UNS, this is not the first time Stankovic has been the target of such chanting. Something similar happened in 2009, after her documentary series “(Im)potence of the State” about hooligans aired. On the basis of a security assessment, the Interior Ministry (MUP) then gave her 24-hour police protection.
The association says Stankovic has been a target of fan groups and hooligans for 17 years. The reason is her reporting on the criminal profiles of individuals and organizations that present themselves as fans, and her pointing to unprosecuted criminal complaints over serious offenses.
What happens next?
For now, the prosecutors’ request is an order to police to establish the facts. Endangering safety is named as the basis for prosecution, but the statement does not say who will be identified or when. Until that is established, no one has been named a suspect, and no one’s guilt has been determined.
