Analysis

The data from the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists regarding incidents on election day indicate that both the prosecution and journalistic associations received only three reports of attacks or threats to the safety of journalists on October 25, which is exceptionally good, stated Branko Stamenković, a public prosecutor of the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office and a member of that working group, in an interview with FoNet.

Author: Veran Matić

It is likely that the previous attacks are merely preparations and trials for darkening social networks at the moment when the authorities wish to restrict access to independent information, in order to conceal the actual election results and/or information about post-election events across the country.

In the event that there are no political changes in the upcoming parliamentary elections, even greater repression will occur, and the survival of the remaining media will be called into question, said Saša Mirković from the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) while guesting on the Kvaka 23 program of the Fonet news agency. The 53 member organizations of ANEM daily exchange not only content but also information regarding the safety of female and male journalists and media workers, as everyone is under threat. Mirković therefore emphasized the importance of the stance that the international community, primarily the European Union and the OSCE, will take, as they are key institutions actively involved in the developments on the media scene in Serbia.

Two weeks before the elections, the consolidated electoral list has been finalized, but disputes regarding electoral conditions remain unresolved. The Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) has determined 18 electoral participants and rejected the objections of the Students' List concerning the voting conditions for the diaspora, while Crta and ODIHR warn of pressure, media inequality, and unmet recommendations. The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) continues its series of pre-election rallies, while the Students' List has announced the finale of their campaign in Slavija from Niš.

At the same time, the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) has not voted on sanctions for Informer, and the editorial board of Nova opposes the change in editorial leadership, perceiving it as political influence just before the elections. While parties and lists compete for votes, journalists struggle to carry out their work at all, which affects how much we will know about the elections before we head to the polls.

The prestigious international organization Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has warned of serious security risks and threats of violence faced by journalists in Serbia ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections. CPJ calls on President Aleksandar Vučić to ensure that journalists can report on the voting on October 25 “safely and without fear.” “Journalists reporting from polling stations face serious risks of threats, violence, and hostility, which have become extremely common during Vučić's term in office,” stated CPJ. We present the full analysis of the security risks that journalists in Serbia are exposed to in its entirety.

Written by Veran Matić, President of ANEM

“This is not about a SLAPP lawsuit; we only have one criminal and one civil lawsuit, although it could have been two criminal and two civil lawsuits” – this statement was made today during the main hearing by Aleksandar Đorđević, lawyer and husband of Appellate Court Judge Dušanka Đorđević, with whom he has sued the Crime and Corruption Research Network KRIK. The fact that this does indeed involve a lawsuit with SLAPP elements, aimed at preventing further investigation by this globally awarded journalism team and editorial office, is best illustrated by the fact that the Đorđević couple first sued the Editor-in-Chief Stevan Dojčinović and journalist Bojana Pavlović. They filed criminal charges against them seeking prison sentences of 10 months each and two-year bans on practicing journalism, which is the most extreme demand in Europe in recent years. Following the lawsuit against Dojčinović and Bojana Pavlović, lawyer Đorđević and Judge Đorđević, just a few months later, also filed a lawsuit against Deputy Editor-in-Chief Bojana Jovanović and journalist Jelena Radivojević with the same demands. Thus, the Đorđević couple is seeking a total of approximately three years in prison for the journalists and eight years of prohibition from practicing journalism, while in the civil lawsuit, they are seeking 700,000 dinars in damages.

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) has published an analysis of the co-financing process for media content production projects in Serbia for the year 2026.

Media associations and journalistic organizations (Association of Independent Electronic Media, Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia, Journalists' Association of Serbia, Local Press, and Media Association) have agreed on a proposal regarding the necessary changes in the process of project co-financing of media content, which has been officially sent to the addresses of the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications.