Selaković’s Attacks on Dinko Gruhonjić Amount to a Call for Public Lynching
The Regional Academy for Democratic Development strongly condemns the statement made by Minister of Culture Nikola Selaković about professor and journalist Dinko Gruhonjić.
It is unacceptable for a holder of such a high public office to use language that humiliates, discredits, and endangers the safety of a person who has for years been exposed to pressure, threats, and organised hate campaigns. When such messages come from a minister, they are no longer merely a political outburst. They become a signal that the persecution of dissenting voices is permissible, and that public targeting is a legitimate method of dealing with critics.
It is particularly alarming that such a statement comes from the Minister of Culture, whose duty is to protect freedom of expression, the dignity of public speech, and the most basic democratic standards. Instead, what is being witnessed is a dangerous abuse of public office aimed at further fuelling hostility and placing a target on the backs of those who speak freely and refuse to remain silent.
The attack on Dinko Gruhonjić is not merely an attack on one individual. It is an attack on the right of every journalist, professor, intellectual, and citizen to think, speak, and act without fear of political retaliation. A society in which ministers encourage campaigns against critical voices is not a democratic society, but one shaped by institutional intimidation.
The Regional Academy for Democratic Development calls for a full political accountability for the words that have been spoken. Public officials must understand that every statement that incites hatred, stigmatisation, and violence carries serious consequences for people’s safety and for the already deeply damaged public sphere in Serbia.
Standing in solidarity with Dinko Gruhonjić at this moment means defending freedom of speech, professional integrity, and the very minimum of democratic dignity.
