[REVISION HISTORY]

Balkans journalist threats and repression

Updated 9 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-27 20:05 UTC → 2026-08-28 11:44 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The wave of intimidation against media workers continued across the region in August 2026. In Serbia, ANEM recorded new death threats against high‑profile figures – Veran Matić (multiple threats referencing “hydra” and “sacrifice”), N1 director Branislav Šovljanski, journalist Vladimir Mitrić, and reporters Danica Vučenić, Đorđe Mijailović and the Vranje portal Slobodna reč. Veran Matić has faced a sustained campaign of targeting and disinformation, including social media threats of hanging and public execution, and propaganda films labeling him a foreign mercenary. The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUJ) has called for an urgent security assessment for Matić, while Serbia’s Press Council sanctioned tabloids Informer, Alo, and Večernje novosti for violating professional standards in their coverage of the attacks. The association highlighted the stark contrast between swift police action on threats to senior officials and the near‑total impunity for journalists: of 111 reported threats since 2025 only one resulted in prosecution. Matić further alleged that Serbia operates under "agreed impunity," claiming the police shield violent attackers and that President Aleksandar Vučić intervenes to pardon those convicted. In late August, Matić warned that the regime aims to eliminate anyone perceived as a threat, labeling journalists who adhere to European standards as “enemies of the state.” He ~~further~~ asserted that the state has become an adversary to the press, with police documented using physical force against media workers. ~~International press organizations,~~ ANEM also reported increased targeting of local journalists, including ~~the European Federation~~ Žarko Bogosavljević of ~~Journalists (EFJ)~~ Razglas News, Dragan Todorović of eStvarnost, and ~~Reporters Without Borders (RSF), have also raised alarms regarding a rise in~~ activist Veselin Petrović, who faced orchestrated online ~~death threats~~ attacks and ~~sexual violence threats against independent media workers~~ physical targeting after reporting on illegal waste dumping. Concurrently, Radio Sloboda Kraljevo faces severe financial instability; despite a fundraising campaign led by ANEM, the station lacks support from the Ministry of Information and ~~their families. The Mapping Media Freedom platform recorded 31 online death threats against 44 media workers in Serbia since March. These systemic threats~~ Telecommunications and the ~~resulting climate~~ City of ~~impunity have increasingly forced media professionals into exile to ensure their safety.~~ Kraljevo, leaving its survival at risk.

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