Serbia's Journalist Threats Persist Amid Unequal Police Response

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) reported that Serbian authorities act swiftly when state officials are threatened but show near‑total impunity for threats against journalists. Police arrested a person who threatened Justice Minister Nenad Vujić and chief public prosecutor Nenad Stefanović, demonstrating rapid response in that case. However, ANEM says that out of 111 reported threats to journalists and media staff since early 2025, only one case was resolved, and in 51 instances police did not act on prosecutors' requests.

The Serbian Journalists' Association (UNS) recorded 98 threats to journalists in the first half of 2026, double the number reported for the same period in 2025. Threats are increasingly online, with coordinated bot attacks, hacking attempts and DDoS attacks, as well as physical assaults such as a tomato being thrown at N1 reporter Gordana Bjeletić during a Pride parade in Pirot. Police have yet to prosecute many of the perpetrators.