Council of Europe partners warn: Serbia one of the main hotspots for attacks on media freedom

The Annual Report further states that statements by high-ranking officials, including President Aleksandar Vučić, contributed to fostering hostility toward independent voices by portraying them as enemies of the state

Serbia emerged last year as one of the main hotspots for attacks on media freedom in Europe, according to the Annual Report of the partner organizations of the Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism and the Safety of Journalists.

The report states that the number of attacks on journalists rose sharply during 2025, as the media environment became increasingly hostile toward reporters, particularly after the collapse of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad, which sparked anti-corruption protests across the country.

In the report titled “On the Tipping Point: Press Freedom 2025,” the situation of independent journalists covering protests, especially those reporting from the front lines, is assessed as having deteriorated.

Excessive use of force by law enforcement posed an additional serious risk to journalists’ safety, with police officers either failing to act or directly confronting journalists through violence and arbitrary arrests. Particular attention is given to the protest held in Belgrade on June 28, during which numerous journalists were injured and which was described as especially violent. The report also notes repeated cases in Novi Sad in which journalists were obstructed, including through arrests and the confiscation of equipment.

The Annual Report further states that statements by high-ranking officials, including President Aleksandar Vučić, contributed to fostering hostility toward independent voices by portraying them as enemies of the state.

This hostility was reportedly directed especially at what the report describes as the main remaining independent television station, N1, and manifested in various ways, ranging from Vučić’s public support for a smear campaign led by a pro-government tabloid against N1 journalists to the public humiliation of N1 journalist Mladen Savatović, who received new threats in the days that followed. The report notes that in July of the previous year, after President Vučić labeled N1 as “pure terrorism,” the newsroom received a letter threatening an attack in the style of the Charlie Hebdo attack, in addition to other daily death threats received online.

The report assesses these developments as part of a broader pattern of discrediting journalists and inciting hostility toward the media, with local journalists increasingly becoming targets. Employees of N1, Nova, Danas, and Radar, as well as Insajder TV journalist Brankica Stanković, were also targeted with Charlie Hebdo-style threats by various perpetrators. Media professionals such as Nenad Kulačin, Marko Vidojković, and Dinko Gruhonjić were targeted along with their families through smear and hate campaigns. The report states that perpetrators were rarely brought to justice.

The report further notes that the unlawful use of advanced surveillance spyware tools continues to raise serious concerns for journalists and their sources, particularly following recent cases in 2025 in which such tools were installed on journalists’ phones and other devices.

It also states that journalists’ associations were targeted by smear campaigns. The newly established Association of Journalists of Serbia (ANS) spread false narratives labeling the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS) as an organization that supports the organizers of unrest. The smear campaign, later publicly supported by President Vučić, stemmed from the fact that NUNS had provided protective equipment to journalists reporting from protests. The report adds that NUNS was also targeted by the pro-government tabloid Informer TV, which attempted to discredit the association by publishing confidential financial information.

The 2025 Media Pluralism Monitor of the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom, which maps risks to media pluralism and journalists’ safety across Europe, found that Serbia had a high risk level of 68 percent due to media market concentration under growing state and party control. The report also notes that the procedure for appointing members of the Council of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) was again conducted in a flawed manner, lacking transparency and independence.

In April, the main independent television channels, N1 and Nova TV, were removed from satellite distribution, leaving viewers with no option but to follow them online. In July, investigations by OCCRP and KRIK uncovered politically motivated plans to weaken their independence. Several senior officials targeted N1 and Nova for allegedly acting against the state. Among them was Information and Telecommunications Minister Boris Bratina, who stated that N1 and Nova should not exist on national airwaves.

The report further states that RTS, which was criticized for its coverage of the protests, was not spared political interference, and that media professionals at outlets such as Euronews Serbia, ELLE Serbia, Večernje Novosti, and Politika were dismissed or forced to resign for opposing censorship and defending ethical journalism.

Serbia remains one of the European countries with the highest number of SLAPP lawsuits against media outlets, with investigative media covering crime and corruption bearing the greatest burden.

The report refers to a solidarity mission conducted last April in Belgrade and Novi Sad by the Media Freedom Rapid Response consortium. The consortium described the media situation as extraordinary and marked by threats to journalists’ safety, the use of spyware, media capture, and SLAPP lawsuits.

In its report, the consortium called on the authorities to end public attacks on journalists, halt unlawful police actions and surveillance, investigate both recent and past attacks, and ensure independent media regulation and public broadcasting. It also called on the European Union to publicly condemn attacks, smear campaigns, political interference in the media, and the use of spyware, and to consistently pressure Serbian authorities regarding the status of investigations into attacks on journalists.

The report also cites other specific examples of pressure and attacks on journalists in Serbia, including an attack by supporters of the ruling party on BIRN journalist Saša Dragojlo and police assaults on several journalists reporting from the Vidovdan protest despite the journalists having identified themselves as media representatives.

It also recalls the case of journalists from POP TV, RTL, and Slobodna Dalmacija who were detained at the Serbian border before being denied entry and assesses that countries such as Serbia and Georgia are increasingly taking steps to prevent international journalists from covering protests.

In the section addressing online threats against female journalists, who are described as frequent targets of online harassment and doxxing, the report mentions the case of Kristina Demeter Filipčev, editor and journalist of the Bečejski mozaik portal. She was subjected to insults and rape threats after publishing an article about a commemorative silence for the victims of the Novi Sad tragedy. The report adds that Serbia’s Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that a preliminary investigation had been launched to identify the perpetrators.

Finally, the report records concrete attempts to spy on journalists, including the case of two BIRN journalists, Bogdana (a pseudonym) and Jelena Veljković, who were targeted with attempted Pegasus spyware attacks via suspicious Viber messages while investigating foreign investments and alleged corruption in Serbia. The report warns that this development points to a troubling weakening of democratic protection mechanisms. /The Balkan Report/