The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) strongly condemns the public appearance of National Assembly President Ana Brnabić yesterday, during which she presented a series of falsehoods and manipulative interpretations of the provisions of the Law on Electronic Media (LEM) related to the election of members of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) Council.
At a press conference yesterday, Brnabić defended the candidacy of Miloš Garić, an advisor at the Ministry of Information, who is also the owner of the company “Miloš Garić PR Garnets,” whose primary activity is the production and broadcasting of TV programs. On that occasion, she stated that Garić is not in a conflict of interest, contrary to what civil society organizations have pointed out, arguing that this can only be determined once he is elected as a member of the REM Council.
In that context, she also mentioned the candidate jointly proposed by IJAS and the Journalists’ Association of Serbia (JAS), Mileva Malešić. Brnabić claimed that Malešić is a co-owner of Forum Television from Prijepolje and, according to civil society interpretations, is also in a conflict of interest.
We emphasize that Mileva Malešić could never have been a media co-owner because the broadcaster in question is a citizens’ association.
A review of the Media Register and the Register of Associations maintained by the Serbian Business Registers Agency (APR) clearly shows that Mileva Malešić is not the legal representative of the Forum of Women association (publisher of Forum TV), she is not the editor of Forum TV, nor is she in any way engaged with that media outlet.
Mileva Malešić served as the editor of Forum TV until November 2024, when she retired. Documentation regarding the change of editor was duly and promptly submitted to both the APR and REM. However, the REM website still lists outdated information, as REM representatives told Forum TV that there is currently no REM Council in place to officially acknowledge this change.
In addition to this falsehood, Ana Brnabić also misinterpreted Article 15 of the Law on Electronic Media (LEM). She stated that candidates may be owners or employees of electronic media, but must resign from their media position if elected to the REM Council.
We note that the final paragraph of the cited article clearly states: “The candidate is obliged to submit to the authorized proposer a written statement that there are no obstacles to the appointment as determined by this article.” Therefore, it is evident that the entire Article 15 of the LEM applies to individuals at the candidacy stage for REM Council membership.
The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia calls on Ana Brnabić to stop manipulating facts and misleading the public. The President of the National Assembly must not abuse her position. We also remind the authorities that they are obliged to ensure a transparent and objective selection process, and not to interfere once again in the election of REM Council members or openly support specific candidates.
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia
Belgrade, May 28, 2025
