IPI: War on journalists in Serbia continues

This is a textbook example of censorship, with all pressure tactics in full view, seeding and instigating a hostile environment for professional journalists and media workers, it said.

Press freedom is under fire, but the EU keeps mostly silent, reported the IPI. Deals to be made, stability to be protected? At what cost?

Meanwhile, Serbia just scored its lowest points in the 23-year history of the World Press Freedom Index.

“Media freedom in a state of emergency”, concluded the latest report by Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), underlining alarming findings about the deteriorating state of press and media freedom in Serbia.

Chilling data

The data is shocking. In a country with complete impunity for the murders of three prominent Serbian journalists between 1994 and 2001, the Independent Journalists Association of Serbia (NUNS) recorded 123 incidents against journalists, among these 15 physical attacks, 71 pressures and 34 verbal threats, just since the beginning of 2025.

The most recent attacks occurred during a rally organized by Serbia’s ruling party, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), in the city of Nis on May 17. The correspondent of Australian radio SBS, Nikola Doderovic, was detained while reporting and kept for questioning for more than an hour and a half before being released.

Tamara Radovanovic, journalist of Juzne Vesti, was attacked. Instead of removing the attacker from the scene, the police instead removed the journalist, preventing her from continuing to report.

“The image of the assailant is clearly visible on the video and the fact that the police did not approach him, identify him and take him into custody, instead of preventing the journalist from continuing to do her job, underlines that is has become a rule that after an attack, thugs are more protected than victims”, said Veran Matic, chairperson of the management board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM). “In the past six months alone, there have been more than 20 physical attacks on journalists. None of them have been legally punished, which only encourages attackers.”

While covering a public event organized by SNS in a village near Kosjeric, on May 16, N1 cameraman Marjan Vucetic was attacked from behind with blows to his back and neck. He was then physically ejected from the tent in which the event was taking place. In attendance at the event on May 16 was ruling SNS party President, Milos Vucevic, who was visiting the village. The event organizer, SNS, did not react to stop the attack on the cameraman, the IPI reported.

On the same day, photojournalist Gavrilo Andric was detained by police while covering citizens’ protests in front of the courthouse in Novi Sad. Although he was released after two hours, he was prevented from doing his job and from documenting current events.

Commenting on this most recent event, Matic told IPI that “Depriving media workers of their freedom speaks most directly of the intention not to allow the public to be informed about the events that most directly concern them. Objective and timely information is the only light in the darkness of disinformation.”

On May 7, shortly after World Press Freedom Day, editor-in-Chief of KoSSev, Tatjana Lazarevic, experienced problems while filming pro-government protesters in Pioneers' Park, opposite the Assembly of Serbia. A young man approached her in a confrontational manner, aggressively asking why she was filming.

During the World Labor Day rallies, an Insajder TV journalist Stefan Miljus was attacked while reporting on the event organized by the SNS.

“This is a real escalation and can be called a kind of war against journalists,” Matic concludes.

The attacks on media continue six months after tragedy first paralyzed Serbia. In Novi Sad, the country’s second largest city, at the recently renovated and reopened railway station, a canopy collapsed and killed 16 people. Unwillingness by the authorities to take responsibility provoked young academics and students to respond. Blockades and protests broke out across the country calling for action against crime and corruption.

The government countered with accusations and smears against protesters, as well as violence by provocateurs and masked hooligans in an attempt to tarnish peaceful demonstrations. Top officials pushed back with a barrage of attacks in the pro-regime media, labeling students as traitors and foreign agents.

The government also organized ‘counter-demonstrations’, supported by former members of the notorious and disbanded Unit for Special Operations aka “Red Berets”, whose former members were sentenced for the killing of former prime minister Zoran Djindjic in 2003.

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