The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) strongly condemns the targeting of journalist and Nova S TV correspondent Đorđe Mijailović in a program broadcast by the Valjevo-based television station V5 and calls on the competent authorities to respond without delay.
In the program Pretres, aired on V5 Television, the author and host, Andrea Veskov, devoted nearly ten minutes to Đorđe Mijailović, making a series of false allegations and insulting remarks. Without presenting any evidence, she accused him of spreading false information in the media on 16 August last year following a citizens’ protest in Valjevo, claiming that a child had died. She also alleged that during questioning by the police he “broke into a sweat and even soiled himself out of fear.”
On Tuesday, 14 July, Mijailović was summoned by the police to give a statement as a citizen in connection with alleged dissemination of disinformation and incitement of public panic during the protest in Valjevo in August last year. The contents of his statement were soon leaked to the local television station V5, which is affiliated with the tabloids Alo and Informer, where they were selectively presented and misused as part of a public campaign targeting him.
Speaking to IJAS, Đorđe Mijailović said he did not know why the case had been reopened almost a year later.
“I assume it is because that local television station in Valjevo has only recently been launched and has been targeting everyone. After 11 months, the inspectors were instructed to urgently serve me with a summons for questioning. They had never contacted me about this before, and even now no investigation has been formally opened; these are still preliminary investigative proceedings. I gave my statement to the police as a citizen and have no problem with that. Then they immediately delivered my statement to the local television station V5, where the presenter analysed it in detail and fabricated claims. Everything that did not suit her narrative was omitted from my statement,” Mijailović said.
He stressed that he had not been asked to provide footage of his reporting from the protest and that both the police officers and the acting prosecutor had acted professionally and correctly. He also announced that he would file a lawsuit against V5 Television over the false claims that had been made.
It is particularly concerning that this case has been revived almost a year after the events in question.
IJAS recalls that following the protest in Valjevo on 16 August last year, false information circulated on social media claiming that a minor had died as a result of police brutality. However, the recording of Đorđe Mijailović’s live report clearly shows that he reported the minor had been brutally beaten, had undergone surgery in Belgrade, and that, according to the information available at the time, his condition was stable. Despite this, certain pro-government media outlets accused him of spreading false news and causing public panic.
In the meantime, the police arrested a person suspected of posting the false claim on social media that the minor had died. Nevertheless, the campaign against Mijailović, as well as against Nova and N1 television, has not ceased but has instead intensified, with the participation of the highest-ranking state officials.
NUNS also emphasizes that this is not an isolated case. Last week, the same presenter appeared on the program Paralela on Informer Television, where she similarly targeted journalists Darija Ranković and Slavica Vujanac, accusing them, without any evidence, of “undermining the state,” “racketeering,” and “blackmail,” while publicly displaying their photographs and making insulting comments about their physical appearance.
The continuous public labeling of journalists as enemies of the state, criminals, or spreaders of panic, without evidence and without giving them an opportunity to respond to the accusations, constitutes serious pressure on the media and contributes to creating a hostile environment in which journalists face increasingly significant security risks.
IJAS therefore calls on the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications to take a clear position on such cases and publicly condemn media content that violates professional and ethical standards.
We also call on the competent Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of the Interior to urgently investigate how the statement given by the journalist to the police was leaked to V5 Television and to establish the responsibility of all those involved in its unauthorized disclosure and misuse.
At the same time, we call on Andrea Veskov to adhere to the Serbian Journalists’ Code of Ethics, respect the fundamental principles of professional journalism, and refrain from campaigns targeting journalists based on falsehoods and insults.
IJAS will continue to monitor this case and provide support to colleagues who are subjected to pressure for carrying out their professional duties.
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS)
Belgrade, 16 July 2026
Translation: IJAS, with AI assistance
