Back in the early 2000s, the Youth Initiative for Human Rights ran a campaign that brought together journalists from Serbia and Kosovo under the slogan “Journalists can do it”. It was a time of hope. The 1990s wars were over, the regime of Slobodan Milosevic had fallen, and a better future seemed possible.
Today, that spirit has nearly vanished. Very few media outlets still support cooperation between Kosovo and Serbian journalists. N1 is one of them. But journalists can’t do it alone anymore. And it’s not fair to expect them to.
Freedom of opinion and expression includes the right of every person to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and share information – regardless of borders and politics, regardless of who it makes uncomfortable.
This week, the Youth Initiative for Human Rights submitted formal complaints to several UK regulators regarding BC Partners, the British investment firm that is United Group’s majority shareholder.
Our complaint follows the leaked conversation between Stan Miller and Vladimir Lucic, which we believe confirms the Serbian president’s personal involvement in efforts to dismantle critical media.
United Group has confirmed the authenticity of the recording, although it has rejected what it called “false and misleading” allegations that it is attempting to limit the independence of N1 or Nova S. United Group insisted that “news independence is sacrosanct to the current management and the majority shareholder BC Partners, and will never be influenced by any political interference”.
However, like many in Serbia, we are alarmed. The protection of independent, pluralistic media is not a side issue but a national and regional priority. Without it, other freedoms begin to collapse.
We believe that UK regulators must investigate these allegations and examine concerns that a British company may be complicit in the erosion of critical democratic institutions in Serbia. We are appealing for anyone who might have information to contact us.
All this is not about “the Serbia thing”. It’s about the right to know. To speak. To dissent. To hear the truth when it’s inconvenient.
Serbia’s democratic space is shrinking fast. We need to get together to defend it, before silence becomes the only sound left.
Sofija Todorovic is director of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights in Serbia.
The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of BIRN.