Prosecutor Stamenković: Four times more reported physical attacks on journalists than in 2024.
The prosecutor of the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office and member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, Branko Stamenković, stated that since the beginning of 2025, a total of 117 cases have been reported to all prosecutorial offices in Serbia regarding threats to journalists' safety, noting that the number of reported cases of physical attacks is four times higher compared to the same period last year.
Stamenković stated at a press conference dedicated to the criminal-legal protection of journalists at the Press Center of the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) that from January 1 to November 30, there has been a drastic increase in the number of reported criminal offenses against journalists compared to the same period last year.
"This increase in reported criminal offenses to public prosecutors in Serbia is approximately 113 percent compared to the comparative period in 2024. Over these 11 months, we have received a total of 117 cases in all public prosecutor's offices where there has been a potential threat to safety, or attacks on journalists while performing their work duties," he noted.
He added that it is concerning that, alongside this increase in the number of cases, there has also been an increase in the number of physical attacks on journalists during the performance of their work duties, as reflected in the cases submitted to prosecutors.
"The data is extremely alarming, and it is a serious burden of responsibility for us together—journalist associations, media organizations, the public prosecutor's office, and other state authorities—on how we will confront this situation and how we will resolve it," said Stamenković.
Source: Beta
