Aleksandra Subotić, Photo: Nebojša Babić
The United Media company warned the European and Serbian public today that the country became the record holder for the number of attacks on journalists of independent media outlets in 2025, stating that the competent institutions “persistently refuse to react and prosecute those responsible.”
“Instead of protection, we are witnessing a systemic inaction by the state, which does not stop violence – but rather encourages it,” the company said, as reported by the N1 portal.
According to official data from the Prosecutor’s Office, as they stated, by the end of November this year, 113 percent more attacks on journalists were recorded in Serbia compared to the same period last year.
“Almost half of all reported attacks and threats are directed at journalists and editorial staff working within the independent media N1, Nova, Radar and Danas. This data unequivocally shows that independent media are being systematically targeted,” said United Media, which operates these media outlets.
Despite the scale and seriousness of these attacks, the company stated, not a single case has been solved and no one has been prosecuted, assessing that the Serbian authorities are not only failing to protect journalists, but “with their inaction, and in some cases direct actions, they are contributing to the creation of an atmosphere in which threats and attacks have become normalized.”
United Media CEO Aleksandra Subotić said in a statement that societies in which attacks on journalists are tolerated, relativized, or left unanswered are “slowly but surely sliding towards models that are not in line with democratic standards.”
“Media freedom is not a declarative value, it is measured by the willingness of institutions to protect journalists when they are exposed to pressure and violence. A country aspiring to become a member of the European Union must demonstrate that it understands and respects European values, among which free media is one of the foundations,” Subotić added.
The company requested that the competent institutions “urgently wake up and start doing their job”, to find out who was behind the death threats sent to the Radar editorial staff and cartoonist Dušan Petričić, who threatened journalist Vuk Cvijić over the phone, and to arrest the person who physically attacked the N1 team on the plateau in front of the Serbian Parliament and broke their equipment.
They also demanded that the individuals who threatened N1 journalist Mladen Savatović be prosecuted, just a few days after the Serbian president himself sent “public, threatening and humiliating messages against him” from a press conference, stressing that it is unacceptable for journalists to be targeted from the highest state positions, as this inevitably becomes a green light for violence.
They stated that during 2025, more than 50 threats and attacks were recorded against United Media journalists in Serbia, and that not a single case has been solved.
“In some cases, violence was also carried out by police officers, despite clearly displayed journalist identification cards and insignia, while some attacks occurred in full view of the police, who did not intervene,” the statement reads.
They assessed that Europe is right to warn today about the dramatic deterioration in the safety of journalists in Serbia, stating that there has been a fourfold increase in attacks compared to last year, which represents the highest number of attacks on journalists in all of Europe.
“Such data no longer leaves room for relativization or excuses. United Media appreciates that international institutions have recognized the seriousness of the situation and the danger posed by the continued inaction of the Serbian authorities. However, the responsibility for protecting journalists does not lie in Brussels or Strasbourg – it lies in Belgrade,” the company stated.
“United Media” believes that it is necessary for the competent authorities in Serbia to immediately start doing their job and for attacks on journalists to be prosecuted without exception.
“If this does not happen, Serbia will remain a country where journalists are unprotected and violence against free media goes unpunished,” the company said in a statement.
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