The partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform today present a report (opens pdf) which outlines the deteriorating situation for media freedom and safety of journalists in Serbia. The report is a result of an international mission to Belgrade that took place in March 2026.
In 2025, Serbia recorded 209 press freedom violations – more than double the 84 documented in 2024 – affecting 359 media workers and entities. As of 16 June, 100 cases affecting 170 media workers have been recorded since January 2026.
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Since the deadly collapse of the Novi Sad railway station canopy in November 2024, which triggered the largest protests in Serbia’s history, attacks on journalists covering demonstrations have surged. Law enforcement has not only failed to protect journalists, but police officers have increasingly acted as perpetrators themselves, with at least 38 documented police attacks on journalists since 2025.
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The government of Serbia has been silent on one of the demands of the protest in Novi Sad regarding the publication of contracts with Chinese companies that reconstructed the building of the Railway Station in that city.
While the authorities claim that the concrete canopy at the entrance to the station, which collapsed on November 1 and killed 14 people, has not been reconstructed and announce that an investigation will determine responsibility, the contracts with Chinese companies hidden in Serbia,
The execution of works on the Belgrade-Budapest high-speed railway project, including the reconstruction of the Railway Station building, was entrusted to the Chinese consortium CRIC&CCCC;, which consists of the companies China Railway International and China Communications Construction Company.
The Serbian police repeatedly ignored requests by Prosecution Office to examine Chinese contractors,
The Belgrade-Novi Sad-Subotica state border (Hungary) railway project turned into a symbol of systemic corruption and negligence and triggered a massive wave of protests [that remain to this day.]
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[Serbia's media] crisis extends well beyond physical safety. Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) continue to threaten public-interest reporting, with Serbia ranking third in Europe for the number of SLAPP cases, according to the CASE Coalition data for 2025. The continued criminalisation of insult compounds the chilling effect on journalists’ work.
In addition, media pluralism is under severe pressure. The majority state-owned Telekom Srbija has expanded its media holdings, consolidating pro-government narratives across the media landscape. Serbia’s media regulator, the REM Council, has been non-functional for over 18 months, making Serbia the only EU candidate country without a functioning media regulatory body. Coordinated bot attacks and spyware, including NSO Group’s Pegasus, have emerged as tools of digital censorship against journalists and media outlets.
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[The report calls]l on the European Union to publicly and unequivocally condemn attacks on journalists in Serbia, and to make direct funding to Serbia in strategic areas conditional on measurable improvements in journalist safety and media freedom standards.
The full report includes detailed recommendations to Serbian authorities, including the government, parliament, police, and prosecution, on the concrete steps needed to counter this crisis.
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