MFRR warns of fallout from Vucic accusations against N1, Nova S

The MFRR recalled in its Mapping Media Freedom report that Vucic made the comment while he was out of the country, attending a UN conference on financing for development. "What Nova S and N1 are doing is pure terrorism, and we are waiting to see what the prosecutor’s office will say – we are still waiting. Believe me, I would have given anything to stay in Belgrade yesterday and just rest for half a day, but I couldn’t. I’m returning and I enjoy restoring order in Serbia, and I have no one to run from. I have never been afraid of cowards, not those from Nova S and N1 - because many people run from them and no one confronts them - nor hooligans or anyone else,” Vucic was reported as saying.

Both Nova S and N1 are regularly criticised by Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), the MFRR said and added that both media outlets were dropped from the Total TV cable and satellite provider service on 16 April which Vucic denied while talking to Serbian media crews in Seville, claiming that “no one’s ever cut their cables, disrupted their work, arrested them, or shut down their broadcasts. We could do that in five minutes. We have no intention of doing that, we never did.” Vucic further accused N1 and Nova S of harming Serbia with “many lies, falsehoods, and dirty tactics aimed at tearing Serbia down”.

“The MFRR consortium called on the president to immediately cease using such dangerous rhetoric against the press, as such comments represent "a serious escalation in verbal attacks and pressure on independent media by political leaders," with media freedom in Serbia having reached its "lowest point in decades." This echoes the MFRR delegation's observations during their solidarity mission to Belgrade and Novi Sad last April,” the MFRR press said.