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On 25 October, Serbian citizens will vote in the extraordinary parliamentary elections. MFRR and SJN partners reiterate that there cannot be free and fair elections if media freedom is not respected and if the safety of journalists is not guaranteed. Ongoing pressure on independent news channels and attacks on media pluralism furthermore undermine the independent news coverage of elections.
Since the beginning of 2026, the MFRR has documented 157 attacks affecting 261 journalists and media in Serbia. The MFRR also observed a surge of online death threats, 51 threats compared to last year when 47 threats were recorded. In 2025, Serbia already recorded 209 incidents – the highest number of alerts of any country on the Mapping Media Freedom platform. Many incidents took place in front of witnesses and have raised serious concern about the persistent impunity. Overall, the attacks against journalists in Serbia almost tripled in 2025 compared with the previous year.
Previous elections have also been marred by violence against journalists: during the local elections in March 2026 journalists were attacked and severely beaten to the point of requiring hospitalisation, their equipment destroyed and their families threatened . Those episodes occurred only days after the MFRR mission which raised the alarm about the spiral of violence targeting media workers in Serbia.
The ongoing electoral campaign has brought a further surge in pressure on journalists. In recent weeks, the MFRR and SJN have documented physical attacks , death threats and obstruction targeting reporters covering the elections. Threats and violence against journalists are almost a daily occurrence.
These attacks follow months of escalating threats against journalists and media professionals such as the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) President Veran Matić , Danas columnists and ‘Dobar Loš Zao’ podcast hosts Marko Vidojković and Nenad Kulačin, journalist Dinko Gruhonjić and Radar columnist Predrag Simonović. Threats extend to journalists’ families and several journalists have already been forced into exile. In numerous cases, state authorities and political leaders incited and fuelled hatred against these media professionals.
In spite of their verbal commitments, the authorities continue to fail to bring those responsible for attacks to justice, even in cases where the perpetrators have been identified. Violence is not limited to well-known journalists: local journalists, who are more vulnerable in their communities, face even greater risks. Impunity sends a clear message that reporting can come at a personal cost and risks pushing journalists towards self-censorship.
Journalists’ defenders are also faced with harassment and false accusations which are often endorsed by public officials. In July, NUNS lawyer and researcher Rade Đurić was also threatened online with physical violence.
In September, the authorities ordered the expulsion of Massimo Moratti of OBCT, member of the MFRR on vague ‘security risk’ grounds. While the order was later revoked , the case shows the authorities’ willingness to use administrative measures against those defending press freedom.
This climate of violence is compounded by the absence of an effective media regulator. Although the Council of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) has resumed meeting and considering cases, it remains incomplete, with only eight out of nine members. It is regularly deadlocked on key decisions, including sanctions against media that breach the rules.
During an electoral period, the public relies on free media and journalists more than ever for independent information. Media pluralism is a pillar of a democratic society. MFRR and SJN are concerned about how media pluralism is at risk in Serbia, a trend that was anticipated in a leaked conversation in August 2025.
While MFRR and SJN are encouraged to see that the same concerns about free elections are shared by the European Commission Delegation to Serbia, they are concerned that violence against journalists and media organisations, lack of regulation in the media sector and decreasing pluralism risk undermining the conditions for free and fair elections.
For these reasons the MFRR and SJN partners call on:
The Serbian authorities to:
- Publicly condemn any attack or threat against journalists;
- Promptly and thoroughly investigate all threats against journalists;
- Resort to all legal means available to prosecutors to ensure that investigations are completed;
- Ensure that police promptly intervene to protect journalists facing threats or violence, including at polling stations, campaign events and newsrooms;
- Create an enabling environment for domestic and foreign journalists to effectively report during the electoral period.
- Uphold media pluralism in a transparent manner without exerting pressure on commercial actors.
All politicians in Serbia to:
- Immediately refrain from inciting hostility against journalists
- Instruct their party members that attacking journalists is unacceptable.
The European Union institutions to:
- Press the Serbian authorities for effective protection measures and concrete progress in investigating attacks on journalists.
- Publicly condemn attacks against journalists and urgently raise individual cases and protection needs with the Serbian authorities;
- Maintain close contact with journalists’ organisations throughout the electoral period and coordinate with Member States’ diplomatic missions on measures to support journalists.
- Follow up on the findings of the international observation missions with the Serbian authorities and in the accession documents.
All international election observation missions to:
- Give particular attention to journalists’ safety and their ability to report freely during the electoral period.
- Include documented violations against media professionals and examine their implications in their reports.
The undersigned organisations stand in full solidarity with journalists reporting from the ground. We strongly encourage them to report any attacks that hinder their coverage of the elections. The Media Freedom Rapid Response and SNJ will closely monitor the situation and report any major incidents to the Council of Europe platform to protect journalists. We will also share findings with the European Commission, the EEAS and EU Delegation, the European Parliament, OSCE/ODIHR and other relevant international actors to support timely action and accountability.
In light of the violence, we remind journalists that the following hotlines are available to the media reporting from the field:
Emergency Telephone of the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS): 060 688 22 31 Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS): 062 530 337 and 064 941 04 89, ANEM Safe Line: 0800 100 115.
Signed:
ARTICLE 19 Europe
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
International Press Institute (IPI)
Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
SafeJournalists Network
Association of Journalists of Albania
Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Association of Journalists of Macedonia
BH Journalists Association
Croatian Journalists’ Association
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro
This content is part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries. The project is co-funded by the European Commission.
