Serbia: Solidarity with Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation following another setback in its quest for justice

On 15 May 2026, the Second Basic Court in Belgrade ruled that the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation had defamed Milan Radonjić, Ratko Romić and Miroslav Kurak. The three men were previously convicted of Ćuruvija’s murder before the landmark ruling was controversially overturned in February 2024, leaving the murder case in a state of total impunity, as no further appeals are possible under Serbian law.

Following the ruling, the Foundation published a statement entitled “A Country That Does Not Punish Murderers Has No Future”, criticising the acquittal and renewing the call for justice. The former defendants sued the Foundation for allegedly violating their honour and reputation, and causing them non-material damage in the form of emotional distress.

The Court of Appeal judgment in Ćuruvija’s case, criticised by the Foundation, was ultimately determined by the Supreme Court as containing substantial violations of the criminal procedure of Serbia.

In its ruling, the Second Basic Court in Belgrade ruled against the Foundation and ordered them to pay a total of 1,035,000 dinars (€8,812) in damages. This reportedly included 200,000 dinars (€1,700) to each plaintiff in compensation, as well as further costs for court fees and the costs of civil proceedings (€979,2). The Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation announced they will appeal the first instance’s ruling.

The undersigned organisations raise concern that this amount is to be disproportionately higher than damages inthe amounts awarded in similar defamation cases. We are concerned that the scale of damages will dissuade others from investigating or publicly addressing Ćuruvija’s murder and the family’s fight against impunity., especially as journalists probing the case continue to face documented threats.

This judgement not only highlights the failure of the judicial system to bring those responsible for the murder of Slavko Ćuruvija to justice, but disproportionately weakens the Foundation’s efforts to combat impunity in cases of journalist killings in Serbia and to preserve Ćuruvija’s legacy.

During a recent mission to Serbia on 26–27 March, partners of the Council of Europe’s Platform for the Safety of Journalists and the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) met with the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation and Ćuruvija’s daughter, who told the delegation about the double injustice of being denied justice for 27 years and now being on the defendant’s bench themselves.

To conclude the mission, a symbolic press conference was held at the site of Ćuruvija’s murder, during which the delegation urged Serbian officials to put an end to the spiral of violence, before attacks on journalists lead to another tragedy. In the coming weeks, a mission report will be published, including a set of recommendations for both the Serbian authorities and the international community.

Ranked 104th out of 180 countries in the 2026 RSF World Press Freedom Index, media freedom in Serbia has reached a new historical low. From January to 19 May 2026, 91 attacks on journalists have already been documented on the Mapping Media Freedom platform, representing nearly half of all attacks recorded for 2025. These numbers confirm the continuing decline of journalists’ safety in Serbia, given the record surge of cases of attacks against journalists recorded last year by the platform. Amidst severe democratic backsliding, a letter signed by ten organisations was sent last week to a group of European Affairs ministers in support of the call to suspend EU funds to Serbia, as suggested by EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos.

At this critical time, when journalists are facing unprecedented pressure, the authorities, including the judiciary, must urgently protect them from intimidation by ensuring that justice is served and that their right to press freedom and freedom of expression is preserved.

The undersigned organisations express their full solidarity with the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation and with the journalist’s family.

 

Signed by

European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)

European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)

Free Press Unlimited (FPU)

ARTICLE 19 Europe

International Press Institute (IPI)

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)

Index on Censorship

Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)

Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

PEN International