Freedom House said in its latest Nations in Transit report that Serbia’s ranking had not changed in the year since its previous report.

It said that there were no score changes for Serbia in 2023, keeping it classified as Transitional or Hybrid Regime.

The report said that in 2022, Serbia made an important step towards a return to political pluralism with the participation of the opposition in elections at all levels following the electoral boycott of 2020 but that this was not the result of improved electoral conditions or changes in the behavior of the parliamentary majority but a consequence of the opposition’s change in strategy. “Apart from certain minor improvements, the 2022 elections were marred by the same problems as in previous ones,” the report said.

It said “negative developments concerning media freedom continued in 2022” with the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) extending national broadcasting licenses for another eight years to four strongly pro-government TV stations that, according to REM’s own reports, did not fulfill their commitments and conditions for having licenses. REM also failed to allocate the 5th national broadcasting license postponing the decision indefinitely. The report said that all this is an argument to assess REM as acaptured institution.

The majority state-owned Telekom Serbia is considered an instrument of state control over the media sector in the report. “Telekom continued to assert its dominance as a cable provider and pushed back on the private enterprise SBB, owned by United Group. Promotional campaigns against SBB were even conducted in public institutions. The importance of the struggle between the two rival companies — Telekom and United Group — goes far beyond a commercial competition, bearing in mind that Telekom’s network does not broadcast the country’s main critical news channels, N1 and Nova S,” the report said and warned that the duopoly of the two companies on the market, “where there is only a thin line between commercial and political interests”, represents a serious threat to media freedom in Serbia.

According to the report, civil society and independent media work in a hostile atmosphere where smear campaigns by ruling party officials and pro-government media are common. “There is a high degree of distrust towards the government from civil society and journalists’ associations …. a large part of the civic sector and independent media finds itself under unjustified investigation for money laundering and financing terrorism in the infamous “Spisak” case from 2020, which remains unresolved”.

The report warned of a step backward in protecting the freedom of assembly when the Interior Ministry banned the Pride parade planned for September 17, which was to take place as part of a week-long EuroPride event in the capital Belgrade. “The ban went against an established and practiced right (since 2014) but also against decisions by the Constitutional Court,” it said and added that freedom of assembly was also jeopardized through fines issued in 2022 to citizens who took part in ecological protests in late 2021.

The report noted that the Serbian government did not impose sanctions against Russia in 2022 but voted with EU member states in the UN General Assembly to condemn the Russian invasion and suspend Russia’s participation in the UN Human Rights Council. “Growing right-wing extremism in Serbia has led to threats against journalists who report about the war, and polls have shown for the first time that more than 50 percent of Serbian citizens are against EU membership.

“The trial of the Veljko Belivuk gang, arrested on charges of murder, kidnapping, and rape, began in October. While the government presents the case as evidence of its fight against organized crime, the accused gang members have spoken out about their links with the ruling parties during the trial. Other major corruption and organized crime cases, such as the trial of the former state secretary in the Interior Ministry, Dijana Hrkalović, and Jovanjica plantation owner Predrag Koluvija, have led to mutual accusations between government officials and public servants of alleged links with organized crime. These cases strongly suggest that the government fight against organized crime is related to intraparty struggles in the ruling coalition,” the report said.

The International Press Institute (IPI) underscored its staunch support for the Crime and Corruption Investigative Network (KRIK) in Serbia as it faces a mounting barrage of vexatious defamation lawsuits and damaging court verdicts.

IPI said that, in recent years, KRIK investigations have rattled the government of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and implicated multiple ministers and MPs in alleged corruption scandals, “drawing the intensifying ire of the ruling party and its allies.”

It noted that KRIK and its journalists have been hit with an avalanche of what IPI and other international press freedom organizations have long deemed to be “strategic lawsuits against public participation” (SLAPPs) – vexatious civil and criminal defamation suits aimed at intimidating the media outlet and draining it of both financial resources and time.

“Unlike in other European countries where SLAPPs are often ultimately thrown out following a costly and lengthy legal process, in Serbia KRIK has been on the losing end of court verdicts in the past. IPI and our partners have previously raised concerns about such decisions, which pose serious questions about the independence of the judicial system in Serbia and represent a major threat to media freedom,” it said.

After a recent visit to Belgrade, IPI and other press freedom groups condemned the deteriorating state of free media and the crisis facing independent journalism, citing the legal pressure on KRIK as a key example, reads the statement.

“Serbia continues to be one of the worst countries in Europe for SLAPPs and the number of documented cases is on the rise. IPI believes the aim of these lawsuits is to isolate KRIK and pressure it into submission, muzzling its important watchdog journalism. This cannot be allowed to happen. IPI calls for renewed support for KRIK’s mission from the international community, as well as from Europe’s journalistic and press freedom communities,” said IPI.

It noted that earlier this month KRIK received a 12th SLAPP lawsuit, initiated by Nikola Petrovic, a businessman and close ally of Serbian President Vucic.

“The lawsuit targeted editor-in-chief Stevan Dojcinovic and investigative reporters Bojana Jovanovic and Dragana Peco. It stemmed from an article about his alleged connections with drug trafficking networks in the Balkans and Colombia,” said IPI.

It further said that earlier this week KRIK was then convicted in the High Court in Belgrade for simply reporting on the SLAPPs it was facing.

“In 2021 it had published a list of individuals who had sued the newsroom, reporting that the majority of lawsuits had been filed by people connected to the government and stating that in their opinion these lawsuits were aimed at silencing their journalism,” said IPI.

The International Press Institute said it was “alarmed” by this ruling, and added that “the fact that a professional media outlet can be convicted for simply stating its opinion that it had been targeted by SLAPPs represents a new level of absurdity.”

“In Balance – Online and Offline” is the slogan of the 6th Media Literacy Days held at the end of April, featuring numerous events and activities both before and during the entire month of May. The project has been organized for the sixth consecutive year by the Agency for Electronic Media and the UNICEF Office for Croatia, under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and Media and the Ministry of Science and Education, with this year’s focus being on the impact of media and social networks on the mental health of children and youth.

To support children and young people, as well as teachers and professionals in primary and secondary schools, educational materials titled “BE YOURSELF – Finding Balance in the Virtual and Media Environment” have been published as part of the project conducted by the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Zagreb, with financial support from the Agency for Electronic Media. The materials include a workbook to support youth mental health and 10 video lessons explaining key concepts related to mental health, developing a healthy self-image, and finding balance in the virtual and media environment.

In collaboration with experts from the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, the Agency for Electronic Media and the UNICEF Office for Croatia have prepared educational digital quizzes titled “My Motives for Using Social Media,” “Online and Offline Relationships,” and “Are You Passive or Active on Social Media?”, through which children and young people can become aware of how they use the internet and social networks and how it affects them.

As part of the 6th Media Literacy Days, the Agency for Electronic Media and the UNICEF Office for Croatia, in collaboration with county expert councils of social pedagogues and school preventive program coordinators, organized an online professional conference titled “Supporting Student Mental Health in the Virtual and Media Environment.” The conference was held on April 28 and was attended by over 500 professionals and teachers from primary and secondary schools and student dormitories from all parts of Croatia.

Source: aem.hr.

The editorial board of the daily newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija has reported Deputy Mayor of Split, Bojan Ivošević, to the Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA) for what was stated in the complaint as “inappropriate treatment towards Slobodna Dalmacija journalist Marko Didić.”

Furthermore, it is stated that in his letter to the city administration of Split, colleague Didić requested answers, including from the deputy mayor, regarding the reduction of working hours for catering establishments based on a request from the Split police dated March 28 of this year.

“As no one from the city administration responded to the request of the Split police, colleague Didić sent an inquiry as to why this was the case, why it took almost 45 days, and whether it was related to the alleged good relationship of the deputy mayor with the owner of one of the ‘controversial’ cafes. Instead of a normal response from the deputy mayor, in which he could have denied the allegations regarding the reasons for the delays in approvals, and such responses fall within the scope of a deputy mayor’s duties, Mr. Ivošević, for the third time in response to the journalist’s inquiry, instead of answering, publishes our journalist’s complete questions on Facebook, accusing him of ‘malicious insinuation’,” among other things stated in Slobodna Dalmacija’s complaint.

The position of the Croatian Journalists’ Association is that such actions should not be taken, regardless of whether the topic or questions are liked by the person to whom they are addressed or not. Questions simply need to be answered.

After the CJA previously reacted to Split Mayor Ivica Puljak for similar reasons, his deputy mayor, Ivošević, continues this practice, which is completely unacceptable and reflects disrespect towards journalists. We consider the publication of journalistic questions on Facebook to be an unacceptable practice that practically reveals the topics addressed by individual journalists or media outlets, which no one should do. All questions – even those perceived as insinuations – should be answered to dispel any doubts “cast upon.” Any other form of communication, according to the CJA, is unacceptable, and we condemn it.

For the Executive Committee of the CJA,

Hrvoje Zovko, President of the Croatian Journalists’ Association

The Assembly of the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) adopted the proclamation today: 

Critical evaluations and demands of the public in relation to the work of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) and individual media service providers with licenses for national coverage coincide with criticisms and analyzes of the professional public, media associations and civil society organizations for a long period of time. The result of such findings is contained in the Strategy for the Development of Public Information in the Republic of Serbia for the period from 2020 to 2025 and in the Action Plan that results from the strategy.

Due to the non-fulfillment of the provisions of the law and the Serbian Journalists’ Code of Ethics, the neglect of the public interest, and the promotion of the political influence of the authorities, the particular interests of certain commercial media, inappropriate content, the non-fulfillment of political and media pluralism, the strategic documents foresee the exclusion of state bodies from proposing candidates for REM Council members and the election of the new Council, immediately after the adoption of the new Law on Electronic Media, which should be put up for public debate and enter the adoption procedure.

IJAS emphasizes the importance of consistently implementing the positions of the media strategy, which is the best way to get the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media to comply with the implementation of the law. We expect from the new Council an incentive for democratic, professional, ethical public communication, and the exclusion of everything illegal, vulgar and harmful.

We also demand that the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications consistently applies the legal provisions in relation to the print media under its jurisdiction.

These activities can improve the media situation, improve the media system, reduce tensions and contribute to the culture of public dialogue and the overall democratic development of Serbia.

Assembly of IJAS

20.05.2023, Belgrade

Daily newspapers in Serbia had different coverage of the ‘Serbia against violence’ protest which according to some assessments gathered tens of thousands of citizens in the capital city of Belgrade on Saturday. Compared to the week ago, the pro-government tabloids had more moderate reports on the rally.

The Danas daily reported this was “the largest rally since October 5” and that “rivers of people” flowed down the streets of Belgrade.

According to the Nova daily, the gathering was the largest anti-violence rally so far. Half of the cover page of this daily newspaper was dedicated to the protest with the headline ‘Serbian spring’.

On the other hand, the Vecernje novosti daily made no mention of the protest at all. The main topic of its Saturday issue was a Kosovo-related subject. However, the daily did cover the rally in Pancevo that was held simultaneously with the Belgrade protest and was attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

The main topic of the Saturday issue of the EuroBlic daily was a new system for reporting the violence in schools.

The Politika daily had the Pancevo gathering as the main topic on its cover page, noting just briefly that Belgrade’s busiest bridge Gazela has been “blocked again.”

The Informer tabloid’s main headline on Saturday was ‘It is clear who is fighting for Serbia, and who is wishing for chaos’, emphasising that the Gazela bridge was blocked by “10,000 haters,” while there were “30,000 people with Vucic in Pancevo.”

Both Kurir and Blic dailies carried that there was a protest in Belgrade, while the Srpski telegraf daily reported that “tragedy is used for political purposes.”

The Alo tabloid put the Belgrade protest in the spotlight, commenting that “foreign lobbyists, Kurti (Kosovo prime minister) and local opposition are on the same side,” and titling the article ‘A total attack on Serbia’.

A new CEO, Roberto Sergio, has been appointed at the Italian public broadcaster RAI on 15 May 2022, following the resignation of Carlo Fuortes and various political pressure on journalists. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Italian affiliates, the FNSI and USIGRai, in denouncing a political takeover of RAI, which seriously endangers the public broadcaster’s independence.

On Monday 8 May, the head of Italy’s public broadcasting group RAI, Carlo Fuortes, appointed by the previous government of Prime Minister Mario Draghi, announced his resignation. Fuortes justified his departure by saying that he was being pressured by his supervisory authorities. In a letter to the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance, the former head of RAI said he refused to accept changes to the editorial line and programming that the Italian Prime Minister’s government, lead by Giorgia Meloni and Fratelli d’Italia, is trying to impose.

On Monday 15 May, the RAI Shareholders’ Meeting formalised the designation of Roberto Sergio as a new member of the RAI Board of Directors, indicating him for the position of Chief Executive Officer. During the meeting, the new CEO communicated his intention to entrust Giampaolo Rossi with the role of Corporate General Manager and Paola Marchesini with the role of Staff director Chief Executive Officer. Rossi is well known for his conspiratorial ideas, which he disseminated on a blog hosted by the right-wing daily Il Giornale.

Another recent case of resignation involved Italian journalist Fabio Fazio, who declared that the last episode of his long-running and historical programme Che Tempo Che Fa (Rai 2) will be broadcast at the end of May. Fazio announced an agreement with another TV channel, following the numerous criticisms he received for his program, and after various political pressure from the government, which never appreciated the progressive editorial line of the TV show.

The RAI journalists’ union USIGRai sees this move as “a sign of occupation of the public service” by the far-right government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

“These acts do not go in the direction desired by those who have long been calling not for a rebalancing, but for true independence of the RAI, which must be at the service of all citizens with every government and not with alternating majorities,” said FNSI President, Vittorio di Trapani. “The weakening of the Italian public enterprises gives the opportunity to another media giant, Mediaset, owned by leader of Forza Italia Silvio Berlusconi, the chance to have much more prestige,” he added. 

According to the 2021 Media Pluralism Monitor’s annual report on Italy, the independence of public service media governance and public funding is at high-risk, highlighting a need for substantial reform of RAI.

Since the election of the new government in 2022, discussions have emerged regarding the approach to assume authority over the Italian public broadcasting service. Meloni’s present administration has taken a more decisive step based on 2016 Renzi’s reform, which already granted the government the appointment of the board of RAI.

“Public service media is based on two pillars, autonomy and independence. Currently, we can see that in Italy, these two pillars are cracked and are no longer guaranteed. With this change at the top, we have another proof that the Italian government can control the public service and influence the citizens’ right to be informed,” reacted EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez.

This statement by EFJ is part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries.