Five people were detained in Belgrade today on suspicion of committing the criminal offense of Endangering Security under Article 138, Paragraph 3 of the Criminal Code, against well-known journalist Brankica Stanković. They are suspected of singing insulting chants and subsequently threatening her during the Partizan–Cedevita Olimpija basketball game at the Belgrade Arena on June 6, 2023, thereby endangering her safety.
“The Third Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade instructed police officers from the Belgrade City Police Department’s Public Order and Peace Division to detain suspects D.M. (26), R.R. (40), S.S. (34), O.I. (27) and A.N. (27), on reasonable suspicion that they committed the criminal offense of Endangering Security under Article 138, Paragraph 3 of the Criminal Code, against journalist Brankica Stanković. The suspects are accused of chanting songs containing insulting and threatening messages directed at journalist Brankica Stanković during the basketball game ‘Partizan – Cedevita Olimpija’ at the Belgrade Arena on June 6, 2023, thereby endangering her safety.
Acting on the public prosecutor’s instructions, police officers from the Belgrade City Police Department’s Public Order and Peace Division took measures to locate the suspects. Detention orders were subsequently issued for D.M. and R.R., while, after several unsuccessful attempts to locate suspects S.S., O.I. and A.N., warrants were issued for their arrest on the public prosecutor’s orders, as they are believed to be on the run. Suspects D.M. and R.R. will be questioned by the public prosecutor at the Third Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade on November 12, 2026, while the police have been instructed to intensify their efforts to locate the remaining suspects and, immediately upon finding them, bring them before the Third Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade for questioning,” the statement from the Third Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade reads.
Two days after chants targeting Brankica Stanković, editor-in-chief of Insajder, were heard once again from the stands of the Belgrade Arena, and following numerous public reactions, the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade asked the police to gather information and identify those suspected of the criminal offense of endangering security. NUNS is calling on the police and prosecution to bring those responsible for threatening Brankica Stanković to justice, and on the management of KK Partizan to publicly condemn the threats and sexist insults. Read more in the report by our @MayaNikolich.
— N1 Beograd (@n1srbija) November 9, 2026
The Same Words Again
Partizan’s basketball players were leading Maccabi 60–40 when chants targeting Insajder editor-in-chief Brankica Stanković rang out from the stands on November 6.
“B92 police show, they’ll lie to you this Thursday, Brankica wh…”
The same lyrics, containing the same threats and coming from the same stands, were first heard 17 years ago.
“You’re as dangerous as a snake, you’ll end up like Ćuruvija, wh… Brankica, wh… Brankica.”
The hooligans dedicated a song to her back then because she had dedicated not just one program, but an entire series to them.
In three episodes, under the title “The (Im)Power of the State,” Brankica Stanković and Insajder journalists exposed criminal organizations and individuals among the fan groups, showing them to the public for the first time with their faces, full names and criminal activities. Based on an assessment by the Ministry of Internal Affairs that her safety was at risk, she was given round-the-clock police protection in 2009.
The chants from the stands subsequently died down, but then they returned. First in 2021, when Insajder became a television channel, and then again three days ago, when fans once more began targeting her.
“Yes, it is possible because they have been stronger than the state for decades. After a break lasting several years, they started chanting the same things again two years ago, just as they did in 2009. Over the past two years, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has responded every time by saying that it is impossible to determine who is making threats from the stands,” Brankica Stanković said.
Who Is Brankica Stanković?
Brankica Stanković (49) is a well-known Serbian journalist and editor-in-chief of Insajder Television. She began her journalism career in 1996 at Studio B television.
She subsequently worked at B92 television from 1997 to 2014, and has lived under police protection since 2009, after the relevant institutions assessed that her life was in danger because of her investigative series on fan groups and organized crime groups. While working at B92, she edited the B92 Radio news program “Dnevnik” and was one of the editors of the weekly programs “Jutopija” and “Apatrija.”
After seven years at the station, she launched the program “Insajder,” which quickly became by far the most-watched investigative program in Serbia. In late 2009, she received her first death threats from Serbian fan groups.
At the time, the relevant institutions determined that she needed police protection because of the severe threats she had received. Her work focused on investigating the fan groups of football clubs Red Star, Partizan and Rad.
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Source: Mondo / N1, Foto: Printscreen Youtube; Printscreen N1
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