International groups warn of ‘spiral of violence’ against journalists in Serbia

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — International media organizations have joined Serbian journalists in raising the alarm about worsening press freedoms in the Balkan country, including “record levels” of physical violence, online smear campaigns and death threats against reporters.

The partner organizations of the Council of Europe’s Platform for the Safety of Journalists and the Media Freedom Rapid Response groups said in a statement released this week that “the past year had seen a continued deterioration, leaving the country in a prolonged and worsening press freedom crisis.”

The statement warned that “chances of further escalation in the severity of attacks against journalists remain dangerously high.”

A delegation visited Serbia on March 26-27, holding meetings with both the media and government representatives.

“The mission came at a time of unprecedented physical attacks on journalists and rampant online smear campaigns, led or amplified by influential members of the ruling party,” the statement said. “The delegation is fearful that journalists are caught in a spiral of violence with few protections in place.”

In response to The Associated Press, the Serbian government’s Ministry of Information and Telecommunication said it “condemns any form of violence and attacks on journalists and urges state institutions to react as urgently as possible to identify all the perpetrators who took part in the attacks on journalists.”

The ministry further cited various activities and projects already in place that are aimed at raising awareness and supporting journalists, including a working group, an SOS line and an online platform.

On Wednesday, dozens of Serbian journalists blocked traffic outside the office of Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic, to protest the latest spate of attacks recorded during violence-marred local elections on Sunday.

The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia said that 20 reporters were attacked on Sunday, while around 100 attacks have been recorded so far this year.

International election observers at the balloting said they witnessed violence and irregularities. The vote was held in 10 municipalities throughout Serbia. It was seen as a test for Vucic after more than a year of youth-led protests that first erupted after a train station tragedy in Nov. 2024 that killed 16 people.

While he formally seeks EU membership for Serbia, the increasingly authoritarian Vucic and his government have been accused by rights groups of clamping down on democracy, including media freedoms.

International media groups said in their statement that pressure and attacks on media workers surged since the station canopy collapse in Novi Sad and the start of the student-led mass demonstrations. The group cited “alarming levels of impunity” with hardly any of the perpetrators being held accountable.

“Clear political will is needed to break the downward spiral and ensure all attacks on the media are properly sanctioned under the law,” the statement said.