Activists alleged that the Serbian government, who had been hostile to dissident movements and the gay civil rights lobby, used Nebrigić's murder as anti gay rights and anti-Western propaganda. In an interview with the Serb pro-government tabloid Politika Express, Reuters reported that Nedeljko Martinovic, the investigative judge who conducted the case, claimed that the gay rights movement was "in effect, a 'gateway' for all kinds of sects conducting a special war against our country".[1] This led Nebrigić's colleagues to believe that his murder was a direct result of his activism.