News

Nearly a year after the start of the protests—triggered by the collapse of the canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024—journalists covering them continue to be targets of attacks. Media professionals have suffered at least 89 physical assaults in one year, setting a record. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) supports the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) both financially and technically to ensure the provision of protective equipment.

Three months after the chase on Zavoj Lake by an unidentified person, who pursued the editor of Niška Inicijativa with a boat and made direct threats and insults towards Srđan Nonić, the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Pirot, despite receiving all the information about the individual responsible for these actions, did not interrogate the suspect in that capacity and did not file charges.

A ruling has been issued against the independent media company PANpress from Pančevo and editor Ivana Predić in the lawsuit filed by Aleksandar Čupić, a media worker from Vršac, for defamation and emotional distress, with an enormous compensation claim of as much as 209,900 dinars!

Journalists from media outlets in Novi Pazar, Tutin, and Raška have not been victims of physical attacks in the past two years, but they are increasingly encountering online threats, insults, and other forms of pressure that mostly remain unreported or unprocessed, as shown by an analysis from Sto Plus Radio.

In the Higher Court in Belgrade, a hearing was held today regarding the lawsuit filed by the owner of "Kurir," Igor Žeželj, against Cenzolovka due to a text in which former member of the Council of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM), Judita Popović, stated that Žeželj had insulted her.

As candidates participating in the process of selecting members of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media Council, we believe that responsibility towards the law and the public interest is an inseparable part of our future role.

A total of 64 attacks on citizens by police officers were recorded during the student protests up to the end of July this year, according to a study by the Committee of Lawyers for Human Rights (JUKOM). Members of the Gendarmerie primarily targeted students, but there were also sporadic attacks on citizens and activists in support of the student movement.

The International Conference of the Association for Political Science of Serbia, the Gathering of Political Scientists at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Belgrade, concluded today with a round table on the topic of **“The Struggle for REM: The Challenge of Independence and Accountability in the Regulation of Electronic Media in Serbia.”**

On July 11 of this year, the N1 editorial team received a threatening letter by mail, reminding us of the attack on the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, during which 12 employees were killed. More than three months later, it is still unknown who is responsible, and the prosecutor's office is not responding to N1's inquiries. On the other hand, the Ministry of Internal Affairs quickly clarified the case of the letter with three bullets sent to Minister Ivica Dačić in just one day.