In 2025, media freedom and the safety of journalists across the Western Balkans remained under serious and sustained pressure. On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, the SafeJournalists Network reminds that freedom of expression and the public’s right to be informed are fundamental human rights, without which there can be no democratic society. Although media markets in most countries are formally pluralistic, the real space for independent journalism is shrinking due to tight links between politics, business, and the media, the economic insecurity of newsrooms, and increasingly pronounced attempts to influence editorial autonomy. Such an environment weakens the role of the media as a democratic watchdog and increases the risk of self-censorship.
At the same time, across the entire region, a worrying continuity of attacks, threats, and pressures against journalists has been recorded—from physical incidents in the field to serious online harassment, particularly targeting women journalists—while institutional responses often remain slow, inadequate, or without clear judicial outcomes. Additional concern is raised by legal uncertainty, insufficient protection from SLAPP lawsuits, and outdated or problematic regulatory frameworks, as well as governance and funding crises of public service broadcasters in certain countries. The SafeJournalists Network warns that without consistent political will, effective institutional protection, and structural support for sustainable and independent media, these trends will continue to undermine the foundations of freedom of expression and democratic standards in the region.
SERBIA
The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia, within the SafeJournalists network, recorded 275 cases in 2025, including 109 physical attacks and 100 death threats, while international platforms such as Mapping Media Freedom recorded 167 cases in the same period, placing Serbia first in Europe in terms of risk to journalists, ahead of Ukraine. Verbal attacks by top state officials and members of the ruling majority have become systematic, creating a lynch-like atmosphere in which independent media and critical journalists are targeted as “traitors,” “foreign mercenaries,” or even “terrorists.” During November 2025, the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation recorded at least 154 cases of verbal attacks on critical journalists and media in Serbia by 36 senior state officials and members of parliament. In October 2025 alone, at least 163 such attacks were recorded, carried out by 22 individuals. Particularly concerning is that the police are increasingly becoming a source of risk: according to official prosecution data, in 2024 there were 64 cases of endangering journalists’ safety, in 34 of which the police failed to act upon the prosecution’s orders. Between March and December 2025, 75 incidents were recorded in which police officers directly used force and violence against clearly identified journalists, passively observed attacks by others, or refused to protect journalists who sought their assistance. What is especially troubling is that the police refuse to accept responsibility for the attacks and failures to act, making such incidents very difficult to prosecute. By the end of October 2025, a total of 98 cases had been registered with public prosecutors’ offices in Serbia, and only one resulted in a conviction, which significantly contributed to the lack of any deterrent effect for perpetrators. Problems in cooperation between public prosecutors and the police are highly visible, and the processes of collecting information and evidence regarding threats and attacks on journalists—especially when committed by police officers—are extremely slow. This is the highest number of incidents recorded in a single year since 2016, when prosecutors began maintaining their databases of attacks and threats against journalists.
At the same time, journalistic work is marked by precarious conditions and legal pressures: at least 20 dismissals or disciplinary measures were issued in 2025 to journalists who refused political misuse of their newsrooms, particularly in media owned by the state company Telekom and in public broadcasters. SLAPP lawsuits from public officials and powerful individuals, as well as the appearance of spyware on journalists’ phones installed by state authorities, introduce new levels of intimidation. The latest European Commission report clearly notes Serbia’s further backsliding in the area of media freedom, with ongoing political and economic pressure on independent media, a lack of progress in protecting journalists, and serious doubts about the independence and effectiveness of regulatory bodies — all of which demonstrate that attacks on journalists must be viewed as attacks on freedom of expression and media freedom, and on the very essence of human rights and democracy.
ALBANIA
In 2025, Albania’s media environment remained pluralistic in form but constrained by a tight nexus of media–politics–business relations, in which major outlets functioned less as independent watchdogs and more as actors embedded within powerful interests. As a result the role of journalism as an independent democratic safeguard is weakened. One of the year’s most concerning developments was the arbitrary and non-transparent blockade of the Focus Media Group/News24, carried out through state structures without clear due process, which seriously disrupted journalistic work and raised questions about institutional accountability. At the same time, the Constitutional Court’s decision in the Elton Qyno case, affirming the inviolability of journalistic source protection, marked an important constitutional safeguard. The EU–Council of Europe Structured Media Dialogue Platform created a valuable forum for discussing reforms in access to information, labour rights and journalist safety, though substantial progress depends on political will to push for reforms and impact is yet to be felt in the newsrooms. The draft Penal Code, which maintains criminal defamation and introduces vague speech-related offences, generated significant concern regarding Albania’s alignment with Article 10 ECHR and its EU accession obligations. According to the SafeJournalists Network, 40 incidents were documented in 2025, including physical attacks, serious threats and widespread online harassment, demonstrating persistent vulnerability despite newly established police and prosecutorial contact points. RTSH, the public service broadcaster, faced a separate and serious governance and financial crisis that further undermined its role. Meanwhile, the wider information space continued to feature media-integrity challenges, including the influence of unaccountable actors and coordinated smear campaigns, and Albania’s year-long nationwide TikTok ban raised important questions about proportionality and digital rights. Overall, 2025 revealed a media sector under sustained structural pressure, where legal uncertainty, institutional weaknesses and entrenched interests continue to challenge the conditions for free and independent journalism.
KOSOVO
In Kosovo, media freedom deteriorated significantly in 2025, a tense election year that intensified political pressure on independent journalism. Kosovo fell to 99th place globally in the World Press Freedom Index — its lowest position to date — reflecting a worrying decline in media independence and protection mechanisms. Throughout the year, journalists faced heightened intimidation, including 65 recorded cases of attacks and pressures, of which only a small number were reported to authorities, while the remaining were documented solely by AJK. Despite these incidents, only two cases resulted in convictions, with the vast majority remaining pending or without legal follow-up, pointing to ongoing impunity for perpetrators and weak institutional response. The EU Election Observation Mission noted that the media came under systematic political pressure during the parliamentary elections, with accusations of media bias, aggressive rhetoric from political actors, and shrinking space for pluralistic debate. A major concern was also the attempted restructuring of media regulation: the 2024 Law on the Independent Media Commission was widely criticized as a threat to media independence before being overturned by the Constitutional Court in mid-2025 — an episode that demonstrated institutional willingness to expand political control over the media landscape. Meanwhile, political and economic pressures continued to undermine editorial autonomy, particularly in outlets dependent on state-linked financial structures. The European Commission’s latest assessment emphasized persistent backsliding on freedom of expression, economic and political pressure on independent media, and the limited effectiveness of regulatory bodies in safeguarding journalistic integrity, underscoring that attacks and pressures against journalists in Kosovo must be understood as a direct challenge to democratic standards and fundamental rights.
CROATIA
In 2025, the Croatian Journalists’ Association recorded 27 cases of attacks, threats, and pressure against journalists, confirming the continued deterioration of safety conditions in the profession. According to Reporters Without Borders’ 2025 World Press Freedom Index, Croatia was, for the first time, placed in the category of “difficult situation,” dropping 12 places to 60th position. RSF warns that, alongside physical attacks, the media’s deep economic fragility stands out as a key concern.
The Media Freedom Rapid Response mission in June 2025 further highlighted several structural weaknesses: political and verbal pressure on journalists, outdated media legislation, the vulnerability of media outlets to SLAPP lawsuits, and insufficient institutional protection. In addition to these findings, domestic and international actors point to a range of systemic problems that are exacerbating the crisis of media freedom: the economic insecurity of media marked by declining advertising revenues and unstable funding; legal and institutional shortcomings such as outdated media laws, the lack of protection from SLAPP suits, non-transparent ownership, and problematic public funding; political pressures on both public and private media, including manipulation of editorial policy and frequent verbal attacks on journalists; slow and insufficient progress in implementing European standards, including the EMFA; and ongoing incidents of attacks, threats, and legal proceedings that further destabilize journalistic work.
Taken together, these factors point to a significant shrinking of the space for free and independent journalism in Croatia.
MONTENEGRO
In 2025, up to and including 10 December, the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (TUMM) recorded 28 cases in the SafeJournalism database — 16 in which the victims were female journalists, five in which the victims were male journalists, and seven involving groups of journalists or media organizations. This figure matches the highest annual totals recorded since TUMM began documenting attacks; in both 2022 and 2021, TUMM also registered 28 cases.
During 2025, Montenegrin journalists were the victims of implicit or explicit threats to their lives and physical safety in nine separate incidents. Additionally, in four cases journalists were the verbal targets of high-ranking officials. The most recent such case involved Milka Tadić Mijović, editor of the Centre for Investigative Journalism, who was the target of a sexist Instagram post by the President of the Pljevlja Municipality. Officials who have threatened media include Boris Bogdanović and Momčilo Leković of Democratic Montenegro, MP Vladimir Dobričanin of Ujedinjena Crna Gora, and the wife of Podgorica’s mayor, Saša Mujović.
Of particular concern, the SafeJournalism database also records an actual physical attack on journalists: in August, during the removal of the monument to the Chetnik commander and convicted war criminal Pavle Đurišić in the village of Gornje Zaostro near Berane, several dozen attendees attacked photojournalists Boris Pejović (Vijesti) and Stevo Vasiljević (Pobjeda). It is also notable that Vijesti journalist Nikola Saveljić was verbally attacked in December — specifically “warned” not to ask “provocative questions” so that he would not “end up badly”, after MP Milan Knežević inappropriately commented on his question. These events legitimately raise concerns about how safe media workers are while working in the field in Montenegro.
The online sphere is no better: female journalists in particular receive daily threats via social networks and by email. Vijesti reporter Jelena Jovanović has on several occasions been subjected to insults and death threats from various social media accounts; Danica Nikolić, editor of the M portal, has been repeatedly threatened by email; and Itana Kaluđerović of Televizija E received threats on her private Facebook account. It is encouraging, however, that in Kaluđerović’s case perpetrator was convicted at the first hearing and sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment for the aggravated form of the criminal offence of “Endangering Safety” — an offence that carries harsher penalties when media workers are targeted and which was introduced into the Criminal Code in 2022 at the initiative of the TUMM and the Action for Human Rights. This is the fifth conviction handed down by Montenegrin courts in 2025 in cases where journalists were the victims, and it is also among the first convictions for the aggravated form of this offence.
NORTH MACEDONIA
In 2025, the situation regarding media freedom and the safety of journalists in North Macedonia presents a mixed picture: formal progress and positive legislative changes on one hand, and substantial structural challenges and stagnation in practice on the other. Although the country continues to rank relatively well on the press-freedom scale, its drop to 42nd place in the Reporters Without Borders Index, six positions lower than in 2024, reflects the reality of an increasingly complex and fragile media environment. In the legal framework, the state adopted several important reforms: strengthened provisions in the Law on Civil Liability for Defamation and the Criminal Code expanded protective mechanisms for journalists, while the amendments to the Media Law established, for the first time, an official Register of Online Media Publishers under the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services, formally recognizing online portals as media outlets with clear obligations and responsibilities.
Yet systemic weaknesses persist: judicial practice remains inconsistent, political advertising continues to pose a risk of interference in editorial policies, and state-funded campaigns in private media were reintroduced in 2024, despite warnings from AJM that raise concerns over media independence. Mechanisms to support media pluralism in line with European standards remain lacking, and AJM continues to call for the full implementation of European recommendations on anti-SLAPP protection, journalist safety, and the modernization of copyright legislation. Socio-economic vulnerabilities further undermine the media landscape: most journalists earn below the national average salary, and media workers are in an even more precarious position. The shortage of young professionals, low wages, and insufficient technical and production staff, particularly within the public broadcaster MRTV, seriously threaten the quality and sustainability of journalism. Without substantial investment in professional development, fair compensation, and clear labor standards, the risk of talent loss and self-censorship remains high. In terms of safety, although physical attacks decreased in 2025, digital threats, hate speech, and political labeling continue to be dominant sources of pressure, particularly on social media. Investigations into attacks remain slow and rarely lead to accountability, while recent cases such as the burning of journalists’ vehicles remain unresolved, deepening the sense of impunity. Despite improved cooperation between AJM, the Ministry of Interior, and the Prosecutor’s Office through designated contact points, SLAPP lawsuits continue to be a serious tool of intimidation. In 2025, one new case was registered, following 23 cases in the previous four years. Overall, 2025 reflects the ambivalent reality of North Macedonia’s media sector formally advancing, yet fundamentally vulnerable, with clear needs for consistent institutional protection, structural support, and genuine political will to strengthen free and independent journalism.
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, journalists face an expanding set of risks: rising instances of threats, intimidation, online harassment, SLAPP lawsuits and physical attacks are registered. Although media environment in 2025 remained formally pluralistic, with dozens of TV channels, hundreds of radio stations, print outlets and news-websites, this abundance of outlets does not equate to real pluralism. A large number of media outlets are economically fragile and strongly influenced by political or business interests. Independent and investigative journalism is under severe strain. In 2025, the suspension of USAID support left dozens of journalists and media workers without jobs, while many outlets were forced to radically downsize their operations. This financial shock was compounded by the sudden shutdown of Al Jazeera Balkans in July, which left more than 200 journalists and media workers in limbo. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), BiH slipped to 86th place in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, which is a drop of five places compared with 2024. The decline reflects an increasingly hostile environment for independent journalism, especially under pressure from political and economic constraints, and growing threats to media sustainability.
One of the most alarming developments in 2025 is the near-collapse of the state public broadcaster BHRT. In December, a broad coalition of domestic and international media organisations and public broadcasters warned that the shutdown of BHRT would represent not just a media-sector crisis but a serious threat to state and regional information system and stability. In its 2025 country report, the European Commission concluded there has been no progress on ensuring freedom of expression, media freedom and journalist protection, and flagged the deteriorating financial position of public broadcasters. The EU officials have warned that a country seeking EU membership cannot afford to lose its public broadcaster, calling on Bosnian authorities to act immediately to rescue BHRT.
According to SafeJournalists database, a total of 34 incidents against journalists and media outlets in Bosnia and Herzegovina were recorded in 2025. so far. Verbal threats, harassment and political pressure make up a large share of incidents. Journalists were directly targeted by high-level public officials, with no follow-up by the institutions. Some incidents involved more severe endangerment, including physical attacks, one of which resulted in a criminal conviction in 2025. A significant portion of cases remains only partially investigated, with slow institutional responses, unknown perpetrators or unclear prosecutorial action.
