SĆF: 106 verbal attacks in July on journalists by politicians

The continuation of the action by the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the use of sonic weapons during the protest on March 15, 2025, death threats against Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, and the announced elections and public opinion surveys are some of the most common reasons for the attacks in July. Government representatives labeled journalists as participants in inciting violence and civil war, increasingly mentioning various forms of their allegedly illegal reporting, including calls for criminal liability.

Acting Prosecutor Miodrag Marković, appearing on the public service Radio-Television of Serbia, announced the prosecution of four groups of individuals. One group pertains to, as stated by the prosecutor, individuals "who provided media support," that is, "posted claims about sonic weapons on social networks or in certain media," whose "identity is more or less known" according to his words.

The highest number of attacks was recorded in statements and announcements made by Nebojša Bakarec, a member of the National Assembly from the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and a member of the Assembly Committee for Culture and Information (21). He is followed by:

- President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić (13),

- SNS President Miloš Vučević (13),

- President of the National Assembly Ana Brnabić (12),

- SNS Member of Parliament Vladimir Đukanović (8),

- SNS Member of Parliament and President of the SNS Parliamentary Group Milenko Jovanov (6).

Attacks on journalists and media also involved the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, the Novi Sad branch of the Serbian Progressive Party, and another 19 officials, including: First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Siniša Mali, Ministers of Defense Bratislav Gašić, Culture Nikola Selaković, Public Investments Darko Glišić, non-ministerial Đorđe Milićević, Ministers of Economy Adrijana Mesarović and State Administration and Local Self-Government Snežana Paunović, Vice President of the National Assembly Marina Raguš, President of the City Assembly of Novi Sad Dina Vučinić, and Members of Parliament Milovan Drecun and Marjan Rističević, as well as Members of Parliament Danijela Nikolić and Dunja Simonović Bratić.

The most frequently attacked editorial offices were N1 (27), Nova (25), and Danas (8), with targets also including Radar, Vreme, NIN, Autonomija, KRIK, Ozon Press, and Insajder.

The attacks also included qualifications such as: "oligarchic," "blockade," "anti-Serbian," "occupational" media; "factories of evil," "poison factories"...

The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade (VJT) continued to conduct a preliminary investigation initiated last month due to "reasonable suspicion" that a "simulation of the use of sonic cannon" took place during the protest on March 15, 2025.

As part of this investigation, the police searched the apartment and office of journalist and military analyst Aleksandar Radić, who was among the first to publicly speak about the possible use of sonic weapons at the aforementioned protest and communicated about it with journalists.

Radić has, in the meantime, left Serbia for security reasons after pro-government media released video footage of him being followed, which also captured his minor daughter.

The Higher Court in Belgrade, at the proposal of the VJT, ordered pretrial detention and issued an arrest warrant for Radić in July. In this regard, Aleksandar Vučić and Nebojša Bakarec stated that "the time for accountability has come."

Vučić, responding to questions about the prosecutor's actions in this case, accused the Association of Journalists of Serbia and the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia of participating in "fabricating that affair" and claimed they "never reacted to one of the gravest lies that could cost the country dozens and hundreds of lives due to the hatred they sowed."

He also noted that due to "their erroneous and malicious work," there were "arsons of SNS premises" and "attempts to murder people" in Valjevo, alluding to events in August 2025, when a group of masked demonstrators broke windows and set fire to the premises of the local branch of the Serbian Progressive Party.

These events followed documented police violence against demonstrators at the protest in Valjevo two days earlier. At that time, information allegedly spread on social networks that a minor had died after being beaten by the police. Although N1 and Nova S did not publish this news, officials have been claiming the opposite for a year, accusing them of spreading fake news aimed at inciting hatred and anger among citizens.

In July 2026, Minister Bratislav Gašić, returning to this topic, stated that "oligarchic televisions are directly calling for civil war" and declared: "You lied about the dead boy in Valjevo. (...) That’s punishable."

Another significant reason for the attacks were the death threats directed at Aleksandar Vučić by a man identified as S.S. via social media. Vučić referred to the person who threatened him as a "Šumadinc who was led astray by terrible lies," and the threat was described as "the result of manipulation" by those who, through "mainstream media" and social networks, with foreign funds, wanted to divide Serbia.

Ana Brnabić stated in this context that "mainstream media that support the blockaders have influenced the creation of an atmosphere where a person is considered a hero if they kill Vučić." As a cause for the atmosphere in which it is possible to threaten the president, Brnabić also cited the "lack of a legal framework for the media: what they can and cannot say and how they are sanctioned for it."

Such a legal framework, however, already exists. Serbia enacted new media laws in 2023, which were subsequently amended in 2025. Before the adoption of the changes, Brnabić stated that "the media laws, which have been fully supported by the European Commission, will contribute to further improvement of the media scene in Serbia."

Other officials have also pointed to the allegedly illegal activities of the media and called for their accountability.

Minister Nikola Selaković criticized the authorities for "allowing" someone to "install their lie machine in Luxembourg, while spreading lies, untruths, and deceptions in Serbia without any consequences, nor being held accountable for any untruth, lie, or deception they express." The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Siniša Mali emphasized that N1 operates against the laws of Serbia, as it is registered in Luxembourg. Member of Parliament Vladimir Đukanović proposed that the state "prevent various charlatans from roaming the media," accusing N1 and Nova S of portraying political activists as analysts to spread "propaganda" and "ordered lies."

Officials accused the media of publishing false data about support for the government and the student movement, following reports on public opinion surveys conducted by the organization Crta and Stanford University, as well as claiming that they "hate pensioners" after critical news regarding Vučić's announcement of financial assistance to citizens.

Among individual journalists, Dinko Gruhonjić was by far the most frequently attacked (10), with eight attacks attributed to SNS President Miloš Vučević, who continued to present Gruhonjić as a threat to territorial integrity, Serbian identity, and the Serbian Orthodox Church at party gatherings across Vojvodina.

During July, other journalists such as Jelena Obućina, Igor Mihaljević, Marko Vidojković, Nenad Kulačin, and others were also attacked.

Source: Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation