The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) strongly condemns the manner in which the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, addresses independent journalists, as well as the continued obstruction of journalists reporting in the public interest by members of the Ministry of the Interior.
At a press conference held on 16 December 2025, instead of answering a question from N1 television journalist Mladen Savatović regarding the accountability of the Minister of Culture, Nikola Selaković, President Vučić delivered a series of accusations and insults, including claims that the journalist was “calling him Hitler,” repeatedly branding him a “liar,” and using statements intended to humiliate and intimidate him.
IJAS has repeatedly warned that this manner of communication, targeting and discrediting journalists from the highest positions of power, is extremely dangerous, as it fuels smear campaigns, threats, and an atmosphere in which intimidation and pressure can easily escalate into physical violence. For this reason, we demand a public apology from President Vučić to journalist Mladen Savatović and the N1 newsroom.
We remind the public that IJAS has recorded a serious increase in the number of attacks, pressures, and threats directed at journalists, including the troubling practice of inadequate police conduct in situations where journalists are attacked or obstructed while reporting.
At the same time, pressure and obstruction continue against journalists attempting to report on events around the tent settlement in front of the National Assembly and the Presidency. IJAS particularly points to a case in which a journalist from the Mašina portal tried to report from the scene, but unknown men prevented her from leaving a fenced-off area and demanded that she delete her footage. After she sought protection from police officers on site so that she could move freely, the officers requested to view the recordings and ordered her to delete them.
IJAS recalls that restrictions on media work in this area remain in place, accompanied by contradictory messages from the authorities as to whether journalists can access it freely at all.
IJAS considers such conduct completely unacceptable and unlawful, especially when it involves police officers whose legal duty is to protect journalists and enable them to work without hindrance, not to participate in restricting their work. Particularly concerning is the fact that unknown individuals have taken it upon themselves to impose their own “rules” for behaviour and media work in a public space, without any adequate reaction from police officers present at the scene.
IJAS demands that the Ministry of the Interior immediately stop the practice of obstructing journalists’ work, especially requests to inspect and delete footage, and instead respond to harassment, intimidation, and attempts by unknown individuals to prevent journalists from doing their job.
IJAS will continue to monitor cases of targeting and obstruction of journalists and will inform the domestic and international public, because journalists’ safety and the freedom to report are not a matter of “isolated incidents,” but a fundamental condition for the public’s right to timely and truthful information.
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS)
Belgrade, 17 December 2025
