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, 10 media and press freedom organisations said on Friday in a series of letters sent to a group of Ministers for European Affairs across Europe.
The organizations 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 media freedom decline. They point at the enabling environment created by the public vilification of journalists by high level public figures from the ruling party, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, violence against journalists by police officers, and 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.
The labeling of journalists with dehumanising and inflammatory terms such as “insects”, “non-humans,” “terrorists,” and “traitors” by political actors has translated into the incitement of hatred in society against individual journalists. 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 organizations 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 letter calls upon Ministers of European Affairs, who came together for an informal gathering in Brussels this weekend, 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 the Serbian authorities to 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.
