EU Member States must show political leadership and join calls for the suspension of EU funds to Serbia to prevent the spiral of violence against journalists from escalating into deadly attacks, ARTICLE 19 Europe and partner media and press freedom organisations say in a series of letters sent to a group of Ministers for European Affairs across Europe.
The organisations highlight the shocking numbers of physical, legal, and online attacks against journalists as recorded on international monitoring platforms since November 2024, a level of persistent violence against media that is rare in any EU member state or candidate country. Since the outbreak of nation-wide protests in November 2024 and the heavy-handed state response, our organisations conducted multiple missions to Belgrade, observing that the situation continues to worsen rapidly.
The organisations furthermore warn that the Serbian government and high-level politicians have been, and continue to be, a driving factor behind this significant surge in attacks, and the wider decline in media freedom. They point to high level public figures from the ruling party creating an enabling environment for public vilification of journalists, including Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. They highlight violence against journalists carried out by police officers, and an almost complete lack of intervention and prosecution during and following attacks on journalists. While authorities confirm that physical attacks against journalists increased by 367% in 2025, only three convictions were secured during that period.
Political actors’ labeling of journalists with dehumanising and inflammatory terms such as ‘insects’, ‘non-humans’, ‘terrorists’, and ‘traitors’ has translated into the incitement of hatred against individual journalists in society. A smear campaign in March 2026, broadcast on national TV, targeted over 45 journalists as ‘enemies of the state’, baselessly accusing them of betraying their country and explicitly referencing previous murders of journalists in Serbia. Combined with the rising physical attacks, the lack of protection, and the unwillingness of the state to hold perpetrators to account, the organisations note that they observe all of the ingredients known to further drive violence against the media and warn that this may soon lead to grave or even deadly attacks against members of the press if urgent and concrete action is not taken.
The letters call upon Ministers of European Affairs, who came together for an informal gathering in Brussels over the weekend of 9 and 10 May, to support the call for the suspension of EU funds to Serbia as suggested by EU Commissioner Kos, who proposes to withhold EU funds in response to the sustained democratic backsliding and the government’s close ties with Russia. The Ministers were asked to swiftly and publicly demand Serbian authorities take action against the dangerous climate of violence and repression towards journalists.
The letters also called on EU Member States to demand Serbian authorities to take action against the dangerous climate of violence and repression towards journalists. This includes: immediately halting open attacks against journalists and smear campaigns; effectively addressing impunity for all crimes against journalists; reforming law enforcement, including improving journalist protection at protests and ending arbitrary surveillance; and putting in place meaningful and effective institutional and legal measures to guarantee better protection for journalists, including addressing Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).
Signatories to the letters:
Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
ARTICLE 19 Europe
Association of European Journalists (AEJ)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
Index on Censorship
International Press Institute (IPI)
Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)