Serbia records 45% surge in attacks on journalists, 71 cases opened in first half of 2026

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) reported that Serbian prosecutors opened 71 cases of threats and attacks against journalists in the first six months of 2026, marking a 45% increase compared with the same period in 2025, which was already a record year. The majority of the cases (37) were handled by the Special Public Prosecutor's Office’s Division for Combating High‑Technology Crime in Belgrade.

ANEM highlighted that police failed to provide requested information in 28 cases, and only one prosecution was formally initiated. Across the past two‑and‑a‑half years, just 10 out of 279 opened cases resulted in any judicial measure, a resolution rate of about 3.6%, indicating near‑total impunity. The organization also noted that four journalists have left Serbia for safety reasons this year, raising the total number of Serbian media personnel living in exile to six.

ANEM president Veran Matić called on Serbian authorities, especially police and prosecutors, as well as European institutions, to protect journalists and ensure perpetrators are identified and prosecuted.