SĆF: Brutal Campaign from the State Leadership – 57 Attacks on Journalists in Three Weeks
A letter to television N1, which threateningly recalls the massacre at the Charlie Hebdo editorial office, where 12 media workers were killed, represents an escalation of the brutal targeting campaign that the government has been conducting against critical media for years, especially in recent months.
In the last three weeks, the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation has recorded that state officials have verbally attacked critical media at least 57 times, accusing them of inciting violence, commanding attacks on the police, and encouraging physical assaults on political dissenters.
It is particularly concerning that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić referred to the work of journalists from Nova S and N1 as “pure terrorism” and called for their arrest. It is worth noting that in April, Vučić threatened prosecutors who do not arrest journalists reporting on protests.
Member of Parliament from SNS Milenko Jovanov categorized these media outlets as part of a “blockade terrorist movement,” while President of SNS Miloš Vučević labeled them “mercenary anti-Serbian media” that “call for fratricidal war.” Ana Brnabić, President of the Assembly, accused them of participating in a “hybrid war against Serbia.”
MP Nebojša Bakarec led a multi-day campaign against the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, Veran Matić and Dinko Gruhonjić, branding them as “ideologues of the blockaders” and “renegades” from the judiciary and media. Bakarec paid special attention to prosecutors and police representatives who dared to cooperate with journalists in enhancing their safety.
Three ministers – Bratislav Gašić, Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski, and Darko Glišić – publicly discredited KRIK journalists and disputed their findings from the database of politicians' assets. Đurđević Stamenkovski called them a “media factory of lies,” while Glišić connected them to the Kavač clan.
Meanwhile, journalists reporting from student and civic protests are subjected to daily attacks. Instead of protecting the attacked journalists, the police, in many cases, have shielded the aggressors. When they did not do so, the police themselves physically assaulted journalists.
The police did not react even when at least 14 journalists were attacked while trying to report from the prohibited zone, known as “Ćacilenda.”
All of this is an unequivocal consequence of the campaign that the state leadership is conducting against journalists, using pro-regime outlets. This synchronized campaign directly calls on citizens who trust the authorities to physically confront journalists.
We demand that state officials immediately cease targeting, and that the police and prosecutors urgently prosecute all those responsible for threats and attacks on media workers.
Otherwise, they will bear responsibility for any escalation of violence against journalists.
Source: Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation
