Journalists in Serbia are facing record levels of physical violence, death threats, and online smear campaigns. Those covering protests have been deliberately targeted and arbitrarily detained.
CPJ and partner organizations visited the capital Belgrade in March this year and a report on that trip, published in July by partners of the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform and the Media Freedom Rapid Response, documented escalating police violence, smear campaigns fueled by public officials, persistent impunity, legal and digital threats and the ruling party’s efforts to tighten its grip over the media.
Since that visit, reports of journalists being physically attacked while reporting on local elections and political gatherings have underscored these findings and raised fresh concerns about a rising climate of hostility ahead of parliamentary elections on October 25.
CPJ has produced guidance for journalists covering this vote, including practical steps journalists and newsrooms can take to prepare for possible attacks in the field and online while covering the elections and the aftermath.
Download the safety cards in Serbian here and in English here.