Fourteen civil society organizations, journalists’ associations, and independent media outlets have sent an open letter to the company Meta regarding the recent suspensions and deletions of Instagram accounts belonging to independent media and civil society organizations in Serbia, as well as other similar attacks on media accounts that preceded and followed these incidents.
The letter was prompted by the temporary shutdown and suspension of Instagram accounts belonging to several independent media outlets, civil society organizations, photojournalist Gavrilo Andrić, as well as other personal accounts that expressed criticism of the authorities.
Although the accounts have since been restored, the letter emphasizes that the recent attacks are not isolated incidents, but part of a broader pattern of coordinated attacks against independent media and civil society in Serbia. The increasingly frequent attacks on digital platforms further undermine media freedom, as well as citizens’ right to information, particularly in a context where independent media are already exposed to political and economic pressures. If such attacks continue, they could have long-term negative consequences for media freedom and freedom of expression in the country, and consequently for citizens’ access to information.
The letter calls on Meta to explain why these accounts were suspended, what measures are in place to prevent abuse of the reporting system, and whether and how the company takes into account the social and political context in cases of public interest such as this one. It also asks how media outlets and civil society organizations can protect their accounts from similar attacks in the future.
The letter is signed by the Media Diversity Institute – Western Balkans, Civic Initiatives, the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS), media outlets N1, Nova, Nova.rs, Radar and Danas, the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation, the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), the Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina (NDNV), the Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS), the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM), and the association OsnaŽene.
You can read the letter here.
