Monthly digest of incidents in which high-ranking Serbian officials have used their positions of power to intimidate and target critical journalists and media outlets.
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For over a decade, media freedom in Serbia has been in a constant state of decline, a trend documented by all relevant domestic and international reports and indices. The inadequate protection of journalists’ safety is a key factor contributing to the erosion of freedom of expression. Beyond the inefficient institutional and judicial response to physical attacks, intimidation, and threats, the frequent public confrontations initiated by the highest echelons of government against critical journalists and entire newsrooms also contribute to the overall atmosphere in Serbia, where journalism has become a high-risk profession.
In its latest report (2024), the European Commission called on Serbia to strengthen the protection of journalists’ safety, particularly by ensuring that “high-ranking officials refrain from labelling and verbally attacking journalists”.
This atmosphere of vilification, created by the very top of the government, not only encourages violence against journalists but also leads to the institutional ignorance and obstruction of investigations into these attacks.
Regime repression is increased against participants in student and civil protests following the deadly fall of a canopy at the Novi Sad railway station, which killed 16 people – the frequency and intensity of public targeting of media and journalists by high-ranking state officials have reached an alarming level.
We believe this monthly digest of such verbal attacks will provide crucial insight into the environment Serbian journalists operate in and the significant challenges that lie ahead in the country’s reform processes.
