Translations: Beograd
Case info
Personal info
- Regional centerBelgrade
- Who was attacked?Journalist
- GenderWoman
- Victim(s) nameMaja Nikolić
Media outlet
- Name of the media outletTV N1
- Type of media platformTelevision
Incident Data
- Date of incident20.03.2026
- CityBeograd
- Perpetrator(s)Not known
- Means of incidents and attacksOther means of incidents and attacks
- Type of incidentOther threats to journalists
- Type of threatUnfounded judicial and administrative harassment including SLAPP cases
Action by the authorities
- Type of violationOther
Action taken by the journalists' association
- Was journalist's association informed by the journalists directly?Yes
- What was the reaction of the journalists' association?The association reacted publicly
The company “Millennium Team” filed a private criminal complaint against N1 journalist Maja Nikolić for, as they state in the lawsuit, the criminal offense of harming business reputation and creditworthiness in connection with the article dealing with the purchase of Hotel Yugoslavia and state subsidies. The text in question reads: “They bought Hotel Yugoslavia for 27, then received subsidies of 30 million euros – the state helps the richest with citizens’ money”, and the lawsuit demands that she be sentenced to up to one year in prison.
In the text, the journalist deals with a topic of undoubted public interest, that is, the way in which state subsidies are awarded and the state’s attitude towards large private companies. The lawsuit states that the journalist “presented untrue information about the company’s operations” and that she intended to harm its reputation, and the awarding of state incentives is particularly problematic, including claims that the state “helps the richest” and that buying a hotel with subsidies practically meant a “gift”. Before starting the procedure, the company did not request the publication of a denial, which additionally indicates that the goal of the lawsuit is not to exercise the right to correction or answer, but to exhaust and intimidate journalists.