The SafeJournalists Network strongly condemns the serious threats made against N1 television journalist Mladen Savatović while he was carrying out his journalistic duties outside the Belgrade City Administration building and calls on the competent Serbian authorities to identify and prosecute the man who threatened him with physical violence without delay.
According to N1, Savatović was reporting yesterday on an incident involving Belgrade Mayor Aleksandar Šapić and Kreni-Promeni councillor Tanja Micić, who said that Šapić had broken her nose.
While Savatović was waiting to go live on the programme Studio Live, an unknown man approached him and threatened him, saying: “You’re lucky I’m with my wife. Next time, I’ll smash your head in.”
The man then walked away but soon returned and continued threatening the journalist: “I fought for this country, and you are destroying it. Watch your back.” He then headed towards Pionirski Park, where a makeshift camp occupied by supporters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party has been in place for the past year and a half.
The incident was reported to the competent authorities, and N1 published photographs of the person who made the threats. We therefore expect the police to establish his identity as soon as possible and the prosecution service to take all necessary measures within its remit.
N1 television and its journalists have for years been among the most frequent targets of threats, insults and targeting campaigns in Serbia, while a large number of reported cases have yet to receive an appropriate judicial outcome. The lack of a decisive institutional response fosters a climate of impunity and increases the risk that verbal threats will escalate into physical violence.
The SafeJournalists Network is particularly concerned about the atmosphere of heightened tension during the election campaign, in which journalists, activists and other civil society actors are being targeted by pro-government media and through other communication channels. Public officials and political actors must refrain from rhetoric portraying journalists as enemies of the state and society, as such messages may incite further threats and attacks.
The SafeJournalists Network will continue to monitor the actions of the competent authorities in Serbia.
Every attack on journalists is an attack on democracy, the public interest and fundamental human rights.
Pristina – Skopje – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Belgrade – Podgorica – Tirana, 3 October 2026
Association of Journalists of Albania
Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Association of Journalists of Macedonia
BH Journalists Association
Croatian Journalists’ Association
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro
