Support to activists in Serbia who receive anonymous death threats
As EnvJustice and the Environmental Justice Atlas (EJAtlas) project, we strongly support the following statement, in relation to the death threats that activist Aleksandar Matković has recieved releted to his campaigning against lithium exploitation by Rio Tinto in Serbia:
“We are extremely concerned about reports that Aleksandar Matković, a research associate at the Institute of Economic Sciences in Belgrade, has faced online surveillance, intimidation and death threats after his critical analysis of plans to mine one of Europe’s largest deposits of lithium in Serbia was published in a respected daily. The mining project, developed by the British-Australian mining company Rio Tinto, has caused huge controversy. Mass protests have erupted across the country over concerns the mine would do untold ecological damage to a populated agricultural region which sits on a significant underground water reservoir. Matković has faced escalating death threats on his Telegram profile. One came from a location a mere 500 metres away, while another threatened him and his family, referring to personal details not in the public domain. Matković received further threats when online, but not offline, indicating his internet activity was being monitored. Although he reported these threats to the police, it took no action. On facing media scrutiny, it denied knowledge of his complaint, but then admitted this was false, saying they would seek out the perpetrators. However, the repression has spread. A foreign journalist intending to report on Matković’s case received messages dissuading her from doing so, and police and the Security Intelligence Agency raided the homes of Matković’s friends and supporters, one of whom was five months pregnant. We are appalled at the threats Matković, his family and friends, and now a journalist, have faced. They are attacks on the right to freedom of speech. We express our solidarity with Matković and everyone who faces repression for raising legitimate questions about the benefits to ordinary people and the damage to the environment of this plan to mine lithium in Serbia”.
In solidarity,
EnvJustice and the Environmental Justice Atlas (EJAtlas) project.
The Guardian just reported on the issue here:
The project ENVJUSTICE has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. 695446)