26. apr 2023.

Serbia: Independent journalism faces biggest crisis in years

IZVOR IPI

Following a visit to Belgrade on April 10 and 11 2023 to commemorate the murder anniversary of editor and publisher Slavko Ćuruvija, the International Press Institute (IPI) today joins the undersigned international press freedom and journalists’ organisations in issuing a stark warning over the state of media freedom and journalists’ safety in Serbia.

25. apr 2023.

Media freedom in Serbia: A deepening crisis

IZVOR MFRR

To mark World Press Freedom Day on May 3, the MFRR is holding a webinar to take a closer look at the conditions which have allowed this hostile climate for independent media to thrive, and what can be done to address it. The webinar follows a recent mission to Belgrade, joined by MFRR partners, to mark the 24 year anniversary of the murder of leading Serbian editor and publisher Slavko Ćuruvija.

17. mar 2023.

Serbia: more efforts needed to face the past, increase safety of journalists and human rights defenders, and protect women from violence

“It is high time for Serbia to face the legacy of the past, to protect media freedom and freedom of assembly, and to fulfil its commitments on women’s rights and gender equality” said today Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, at the end of a visit to the country carried out from 13 to 17 March 2023.

13. mar 2023.

Crimes against journalists go unpunished, freedom of speech targeted

Written by Jelena L. Petković

"For more than two decades families have been left in the dark and those responsible for the killings, kidnappings and disappearances of our colleagues have never been held accountable. Still, to this date, no effective investigations have been held despite a raft of resolutions, pledges and declarations to put an end to impunity. It is time for the International Commission of Experts to investigate the killings, kidnappings and disappearances of journalists and media workers in Kosovo between 1998 and 2005," Anthony Bellanger, Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

06. mar 2023.

Teresa Ribeiro on the Slavko Ćuruvija murder trial: We need to break the vicious circle of crimes and impunity

Written by Jelena L. Petković

The trial for the murder of Slavko Ćuruvija will definitely be a strong test for the judicial system and democracy in Serbia. Murder of a journalist is an extreme case and the punishment should be proportional, of course. We need to break the vicious circle of crimes and impunity, says the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, for Cenzolovka, just before the opening of the process before the Court of Appeal on Monday, 6 March.

22. dec 2022.

After an increase in attacks on journalists in Kosovo, police and international forces asked to provide better protection

Author Pavol Szalai
IZVOR RSF

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the police and international security forces in Kosovo to provide journalists with better protection and to safeguard the right to information in the north of the country, where at least four media crews have been attacked by unidentified individuals since mid-November amid heightened political tension between Kosovo and neighbouring Serbia.

20. dec 2022.

An update on the appeal process in Slavko Ćuruvija murder trial: Justice in limbo

Written by Jelena L. Petković
IZVOR IFJ

Justice in Serbia for the murder of journalist Slavko Ćuruvija, journalist and publisher, founder of the newspapers "Telegraf", "Dnevni Telegraf" and "Evropljanin" has been awaited for 23 years. The Court trial has been going on for eight years. And it's not over yet. In the week of December 5, the Court of Appeal in Belgrade heard the appeals of the prosecution and the defense. Unofficially, according to daily “Politika”, the Appellate panel has just decided to open hearings over four days for submission of evidence in March of 2023. The Court of Appeal verdict would be final. A decision is pending. Justice awaits.

08. dec 2022.

The trial for the murder of journalist Slavko Ćuruvija: Wrestling with the deep state

Author Jelena L. Petković

Slavko Ćuruvija, Serbian journalist and publisher, founder of the newspapers "Nedeljni Telegraf", "Dnevni Telegraf" and "Evropljanin" was killed on Orthodox Easter Sunday, April 11, 1999. He was shot from behind. One shot hit him in the head. The second went through his heart. A total of 17 bullets were fired at him. The killers pistol-whipped Slavko's wife Branka Prpa unconscious.

07. okt 2022.

Veran Matic: A view from Serbia on the quarter of the century of the Representative on Freedom of the Media

Author Veran Matić

The current history of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media is a chronology of the continuous struggle for freedom of expression and media transition in turbulent times of constant political and economic challenges. During the quarter century of the institution's existence, the current five representatives on freedom of the media are witnesses, actors and, I can freely say, accomplices in the constant struggle for the survival of free speech, the preservation and promotion of public interest in the media, while making them professionalin accordance with the proclaimed ethical standards.