The authorities are attempting to conceal the crime committed on March 15, 2025, through the persecution of journalists.

The current focus on the use of the "sound cannon" by the authorities aims to divert attention from other issues the government is facing. A year and a half after the use of illegal weapons, accusations of undermining the constitutional order seem absurd. Renowned military analyst Aleksandar Radić is being pursued with the intent to execute a complete inversion of reality, transforming the attack on citizens who peacefully protested into an alleged conspiracy narrative, all while violating numerous laws.

Alongside the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office and the police, the Military Security Agency and tabloids are also involved in this operation. The safety of Radić's minor daughter has been jeopardized through the monitoring of her and the publication of fabricated claims and lies.

The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office, in its statement, also announces investigations that will involve other journalists who communicated with Radić, aiming to criminalize a significant portion of the media community that has addressed this important topic and instill fear regarding their own freedom.

Radić is the fourth journalist this year who, due to governmental repression and threats to his safety, life, and freedom, has been forced to leave Serbia. It is evident that the government aims to expel truthful and professional journalism from the country in this manner as well.

We call on media organizations, civil society organizations, the democratic public, and citizens to protect the media that operate in the public interest and support the journalists who face daily attacks from the authorities and the perpetrators hired by the same government. Abused institutions – parts of the prosecution, police, and security services – have been used to establish a dictatorship and an absolutist regime. Every day, lawyers and students are beaten, while activists are unlawfully detained and deprived of their freedom. Serbia is threatened with the abolition of basic freedoms and the democratic order.

"Aleksandar Radić is in exile. We appeal to representatives of international organizations concerned with media freedom to assist Radić so that he can continue to work and live beyond the reach of the illegal actions of Serbian institutions. We call on the governments of European Union member states to grant Radić political asylum or another appropriate form of international protection. This would do nothing other than confirm the conclusions of the European Commission, the resolutions of the European Parliament, and the positions of other international institutions that note the dramatic deterioration of the state of media freedom, freedom of expression, and the right to peaceful assembly in Serbia. We call for solidarity with all persecuted female journalists, male journalists, and media workers who today perform their work under conditions of serious threat," stated Veran Matić, President of the Board of Directors of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) and member of the Permanent Working Group on the Safety of Journalists.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

The project "Improvement of the System for Prevention and Response Mechanisms in Cases of Threats to the Safety and Life of Female and Male Journalists in Serbia" is being implemented by ANEM in partnership with Insider TV and the Center for the Development of Local Media, with the support of the European Union.