To Brother (OSCE): The trend of escalating threats and violence against journalists continues unabated in Serbia.
The OSCE Office for Freedom of the Media called on the authorities of Serbia today to "independently and urgently investigate all reported cases of violence against journalists and ensure that journalists can work safely, without unjustified interference," in accordance with their accepted commitments.
The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Jan Bratu, wrote on the social network X that "unfortunately, the unconstrained trend" he warned about in previous statements continues, which is the "escalation of threats, violence, and harassment against journalists and media in Serbia."
This puts the media environment "under serious pressure" in Serbia, he wrote, noting that "there is systematic targeting of media outlets that are not aligned with the authorities," and that this targeting is "widespread," with "journalists from N1 and Nova particularly facing hostile rhetoric, humiliation, obstruction of reporting, and even physical attacks."
According to him, "the words used by politicians contribute to creating a general atmosphere in the public and can incite violence against journalists."
"Public officials bear a special responsibility to avoid language that may stigmatize journalists or contribute to a climate of tension and division," the statement reads.
Source: Beta
