Interview with Veran Matić: We are seen as the last obstacle to fully darkening Serbia.

This is not the first time that the authorities and their media proxies have targeted Matić, but this is far from reassuring and is truly disturbing, even in Serbia, accustomed to all kinds of media chaos and nonsense. Followers of Novi magazin will hear all about this from Matić in an extensive video interview that will be broadcast on our website and YouTube channel, and here are excerpts from that conversation, which concluded with Veran's satisfaction.

“The Evil Age” is the reason for this conversation, but let's start on a lighter note; do you feel “honored” to be called an author, or rather, the initiator of propaganda in Serbia?

A media guru of the blockaders from whom it all started… It is certainly not pleasant to be the subject of a mountain of lies and aggressive incitement that directly endangers my safety, as well as that of everyone I work with and all those mentioned in the show. For example, attorney Kruna Savović, who also defends journalists in Serbia. But in a way, it is gratifying that what I have been doing for over 40 years in journalism, often in very difficult conditions and impossible situations of bans and persecution, is represented here. However, throughout those 40 minutes, the dominant narrative is that I am responsible for all the evil done to Serbs and that I should be punished for it.

We, the few remaining journalists and I who are engaged in media protection, are seen as the last barrier to completely darkening Serbia, so I cannot feel comfortable, but yes – I am honored that the autocratic government, which embodies all violence, has determined that I am its opponent. The tendency to attack journalists is, of course, dramatic; the concentration of evil is so great that it is only a matter of time before someone may pay with their life.

Let’s clarify something; what are your options as a targeted individual to defend yourself? I’m talking about the legal system, but also the support of media associations like NUNS, in whose premises we are talking.

You can do nothing since it is the system that is attacking you. This type of aggression against the media and journalists is systemic; it comes from the top of the state, from the president, ministers; it has been decided so, and the institutions of the system that should protect citizens have been instructed to attack them. We have a situation where journalists reporting from protests are not only not protected by the police but are attacked, left to the mercy of thugs.

They detain them while they are being attacked!

And then they attack as well. We have completely unauthorized detentions and arrests, unimaginable trials… A few years ago, we noticed that the police received orders not to investigate attacks on journalists. To reach a judicial conclusion, investigative actions must be carried out, and statistics show that in 2024, more than half of reported cases were not investigated, and this has continued dramatically into 2025. You can report incidents; we have encountered professional and conscientious prosecutors and police officers, but practically you cannot be protected. I was specifically under police protection 24/7 for five years; in a way, you feel trapped, and as the government’s attitude towards European standards and benchmarks changed, it became meaningless. I am not saying this for myself but for other colleagues whose safety is endangered to the point that attacks can be expected at any moment.

Media and journalistic associations are trying everything to protect colleagues; we just haven’t found any form of physical protection yet, but we will probably have to because we cannot rely on what is offered here.

Due to the fact that the appointment of the REM Council is not stalled but has been returned to the beginning, it is impossible to expect that kind of protection, even though professional media have lacked REM protection for years.

The authorities have deliberately made it impossible to appoint the REM Council to avoid any consequences, even of a formal nature…

“The Evil Age” is compared to the film about Oliver Ivanović, whose airing on a television station with national frequency has never been punished!

The campaign of that nature that led to Oliver's murder is not only unresolved but has been blocked, as if there exists a certain kind of protection for the perpetrators. Certainly, REM could do something in such situations, and I believe I have been chosen as a target because of everything I have done in the past period, among other things as a proposer of candidates before ANEM, as well as other associations and the NGO sector advocating for a lawful process. This seems a bit vengeful.

A bit more than that!

Yes, a bit more.

How much does the court process against those accused of murdering Slavko Ćuruvija, in which you were very active and which ended with their acquittal, have to do with all of this?

It has a lot to do; I led the Commission for the Investigation of Journalist Murders…

Which, interestingly, is not mentioned in “The Evil Age”!

It is not mentioned, yes. The Commission was able to get the case initiated, but as soon as the trial began, obstruction started, the testimony of Kecman was practically sabotaged, as the Supreme Court recently established regarding the acquittal by the Appellate Court. It is no wonder that Kecman and I are in the sphere of interest of state security, which has people even in the city center, where there is the highest concentration of criminals per square meter.

The Commission was not well received even by parts of the media and associations that advocate for professional journalism, and the key reason was that murders should be dealt with by the competent authorities. You found a lot, but there has been no progress compared to 2000 or even 2012.

I initiated the establishment of the Commission because it was clear that the institutions would do nothing even after the changes of October 5. All cases were practically buried; today we all know who killed Slavko Ćuruvija, and it is sad that we do not have a judicial system that could process such a thing. However, the people who worked in the Commission and I are proud of what we did.

You mean the establishment of facts?

Yes, none of us did this for a salary; we were dedicated to it, and instead of being rewarded, those who did it were threatened, and the police did not protect them. For a long time, we had the support of the then police director Veljović, but when Stefanović and Dijana Hrkalović came, we had to retreat even from our premises.

But allow me to express one impression in conclusion; due to everything that has been happening in these months and years in Serbia, I have noticed that a significant number of students and young journalists are interested not only in working in the media but also in conveying information to the public. I believe they will be the continuers of everything we have done over the past decades, understanding the importance of solidarity, and I believe this work will be their life orientation. The problem is that today there are no foundations like in the nineties that can help the media, such as USAID, the Open Society Foundation…

Soros, feel free to say it!

Yes, I am proud to have met him.

Source: Novi magazin

Watch the full video interview: