Over a month ago, on December 24, 2023, a direct death threat today was issued at Xhabir Deralla. In a comment on his column “Blindfolded snipers”, the following comment was written by the profile “Aleksandar Antic”. The Journalist Association of Macedonia condemned the verbal attack. A report to the Ministry of Interior’s computer crime division was submitted, with no response after more than one month.
“Be visible you nit, the bullet will reach you soon enough” – the profile wrote.
The profile indicates that it is a person who represents himself as a lawyer and that he is from Skopje. More information is not revealedon the profile for those who are not his Facebook friends.
The hate speech, insults, as well as the death threats to our colleague Xhabir Deralla have intensified lately, which coincides with periods when important events or processes are taking place in the country.
Deralla has been a target of hate speech and death threats also in the context of the Russian brutal invasion against Ukraine by pro-Russian, anti-Western and nationalist profiles on social media.
CIVIL’s monitoring team singles out this threat as truly dangerous to the life of colleague Deralla, but it should also serve as an illustration, since it’s not the only one.
At the same time, CIVIL reminds the public and the competent institutions, primarily the Ministry of Interior and the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office that colleague Deralla is under continuous attack also by part of the media, including television stations that broadcast programs at the national level, close to anti-Western political entities and centers of power also outside the country.
His name is often mentioned in a negative context and with hate speech also by high political officials and heads of right-wing political parties.
Currently, Deralla is being sued by the head of VMRO-DPMNE and the Director of TV Kanal 5, close to the right-wing, for a text published in the portals where he is the chief editor, namely, about a spoken word and value judgement in his column.
The attempts for discrediting him and the hate speech directed at Deralla that come from high political representatives and from the media, are an additional encouragement and a real threat to the life of colleague Deralla.
CIVIL appeals to the competent institutions to take legal action to protect the life of the colleague.
CIVIL Monitoring Team
LINK TO THE ORIGINAL REPORT IN MACEDONIAN
PREVIOUS REPORTS: Hate speech, lies and threats against Xhabir Deralla, President of CIVIL
