Serbia's journalist and student crackdown prompts EU condemnation

The European Democratic Party says recent attacks on independent journalists in Serbia confirm a deepening authoritarian shift under President Aleksandar Vučić and warn that the country is moving further away from EU accession. The party cited a police call to Beta news agency editor Vojkan Kostić while he reported alleged use of a sound weapon on demonstrators, and the vandalism of a journalist’s son’s car, as clear instances of intimidation.

More than 30 members of the European Parliament have called on the European Commission and the EU delegation in Belgrade to protect activists, journalists and students, condemning the alleged use of LRAD 450XL acoustic devices by police during the March 15, 2025 Belgrade protest. They allege fabricated charges, abuse of the judiciary and repeated threats aimed at silencing dissent, and demand an immediate halt to prosecutions of peaceful demonstrators.