Front Line is deeply concerned following information received of media threats and aggressive intimidation against human rights defender Sonja Biserko and staff at the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia (HCHRS). Sonja Biserko is the Chairperson of the HCHRS, a professional organisation working on the promotion of the rule of law and protection of human rights in Serbia.

Further Information

On 2 October 2008, the newspaper Tabloid published an article about Sonja Biserko in which her full home address and private information concerning her family life were included. The newspaper has called her a “traitor of the homogeneous Serbianhood”. Private information concerning the human rights defender has also been published on the newspaper's website.

On 30 September 2008, a group of 100-130 members of ultra right-wing organisations, including Movement 1389 and Protest, gathered in front of the offices on the HCHRS. They remained there for approximately 15 minutes shouting abusive threats at the members of the organisation, many of which were aimed specifically at Sonja Biserko. During this action the protesters did not attempt to enter the building, a fact which may be attributed to the presence of both the police and the media. Upon leaving the vicinity of the HCHRS offices the protesters left a large cardboard swastika outside of the building.

The HCHRS has reported receiving many threatening letters since 22 September 2008, some of which contained explicit death threats against Sonja Biserko. Despite these threats Sonja Biserko is receiving no police protection.

These latest media attacks and acts of aggressive intimidation are believed to be linked to the recently released Report of Helsinki Committee for the year 2007, published by Sonja Biserko, which addresses crimes against humanity of the Serbian administration in the Balkan region during the 1990s. The media attacks also come in the context of acts of vandalism against the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights by the Serbian nationalist group, Movement 1389. Movement 1389 has been protesting against the arrest of Radovan Karadzic for more than seventy days.

In 2005 and 2006, Sonja Biserko was repeatedly the victim of physical assaults and break-ins at her home. This intimidation was reportedly linked to government officials who had launched a campaign of harassment and intimidation mostly against the female leaders of a number of Serbian human rights NGOs.

Front Line is concerned that the harassment of Sonja Biserko is due to her legitimate human rights activities as Chairperson of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia and the publication of the 2007 Report of the Helsinki Committee. Front Line believes that the publication of Sonja Biserko´s home address in the media is an attempt to encourage attacks on her person or property. In view of these threats Front Line expresses its serious concern for the security and physical and psychological integrity of Sonja Biserko.