United Media said on Monday that it warned the public both at home and in European that Serbia is the country with the most attacks on independent media staff this year without a response from the authorities.
“Societies which tolerate, downplay or fail to respond to attacks on journalists slowly but surely slide toward state models incompatible with democratic standards. Media freedom is not a declarative value; it is measured by the willingness of institutions to protect journalists when they are exposed to pressure and violence. A country that aspires to become a member of the European Union must demonstrate that it understands and respects European values, including free media as one of the cornerstones,” United Media CEO Aleksandra Subotic is quoted as saying.
A statement said that the authorities are persistently refusing to respond or prosecute the people responsible for the attacks. “Instead of protection, we are witnessing the state’s systematic failure to act — encouraging instead of stopping violence,” it added.
According to official figures released by the prosecution, the number of attacks on journalists was 113 percent higher by the end of November this year compared to the same period last year. “Almost half of all the reported attacks and threats were directed at journalists and newsrooms operating within the independent media outlets N1, Nova, Radar, and Danas. These figures unequivocally demonstrate that independent media are being systematically targeted,” United Media said.
Despite their number and ferocity, none of the attacks has been has been resolved and no one has been prosecuted. “The Serbian authorities not only failing to protect journalists, but through their inaction — and in some cases through direct action — contribute to creating an environment in which threats and attacks have become normalized,” the statement said.
“United Media demands that the competent institutions urgently wake up and begin doing their job: to identify those behind the horrific death threats sent to the Radar newsroom and cartoonist Dusan Petricic; to determine who threatened journalist Vuk Cvijic by phone; and to arrest the individual who physically attacked an N1 crew on the plateau in front of Caciland and destroyed their equipment.
“UM also demands the prosecution of the people who threatened N1 journalist Mladen Savatovi just only days after the President of Serbia made public, threatening, and offensive comments about him during a news conference. It is unacceptable for journalists to be targeted from the highest state offices, as this inevitably serves as a green light for violence.
“During 2025, more than 50 threats and attacks against United Media journalists in Serbia were recorded. Not a single case has been resolved. In some instances, the violence was carried out by police officers, despite clearly displayed press credentials and markings, while other attacks occurred in the presence of police officers who failed to intervene.
“Europe today is rightly warning of a dramatic deterioration in the safety of journalists in Serbia. A fourfold increase in attacks compared to last year has been recorded, representing the highest number of attacks on journalists anywhere in Europe. Such data no longer leave room for relativization or excuses.
“United Media appreciates that international institutions have recognized the seriousness of the situation and the danger posed by the continuous inaction of Serbian authorities. However, responsibility for protecting journalists does not lie in Brussels or Strasbourg—it lies in Belgrade.
“It is imperative that the competent authorities in Serbia immediately begin doing their job and that attacks on journalists be prosecuted without exception. If this does not happen, Serbia will remain a country in which journalists are unprotected and violence against free media goes unpunished,” the United Media statement said.
Source: N1
