The Coalition for Media Freedom strongly condemns the broad and apparently premeditated campaign targeting media outlets and journalists launched by the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade through its controversial statement announcing investigative actions related to the student-citizen protest held in Belgrade on March 15 last year.
This prosecutor’s office, which a significant portion of the public has long viewed as an instrument of the executive branch, announced an investigation into the so-called “sound cannon” case, namely whether the incident at the Belgrade rally – when thousands of people fled the streets due to an “unusual sound” that caused distress and, in some cases, health problems – had been planned and rehearsed in advance with the aim of provoking unrest, bringing about a violent change of the constitutional order, and endangering state security.
We do not wish to address the merits of the case itself, nor to assess the extent to which the Prosecutor’s Office statement is consistent with the law, logic, and common sense; the degree to which it presents allegations that should only be proven before a court; or the extent to which it seeks to divert attention from other important political and social issues. Rather, we wish to point out that the statement contains indications of a serious threat to freedom of expression and media freedom, including the potential establishment of criminal liability for spoken words and expressed opinions.
Immediately after the statement was issued, media outlets close to the authorities and social media platforms launched a broad campaign targeting independent media and journalists who reported on the incident or expressed views about it. The campaign called for them to be held accountable for the alleged “simulation of the incident” and for their arrest on accusations of “participation in a coup d’état.”
They have been accused of being part of an “organized media group” acting in the interests of enemies of the state and society.
The Coalition for Media Freedom believes that this case is part of an open, systematic, extensive, and intensive effort to intimidate and suppress media freedom and freedom of expression, and a warning that such repression may enter an even darker phase.
We remind the public that all relevant domestic and international assessments point to a further erosion of media freedoms and a deterioration of democratic standards in our country.
Coalition for Media Freedom: the Media Association, the Online Media Association (AOM), the Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina (IJAV), the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS), the Business Association of Local and Independent Media “Lokal Pres,” the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation, and the “Nezavisnost” Branch Trade Union of Culture, Art and Media.
