Serbian Police Escalate Attacks on Journalists During Anti-Government Protests

September 25, 2025 – Serbia – 

Since June 1, 2025, at least 28 journalists in Serbia have reported being specifically targeted by police during coverage of anti-government protests, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Local press freedom groups describe such incidents as occurring almost daily in August.

Many of these attacks involve journalists covering police violence. Rather than protecting these reporters, authorities are accused of harassment, beatings, phone seizures, and arbitrary detention. The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia reports 19 physical assaults in 2025 so far, already exceeding the full count of 17 in all of 2024.

CPJ has called on Serbian authorities to launch “swift and transparent investigations” into these claims and to hold perpetrators accountable—especially given Serbia’s aspirations to join the European Union.

The crackdown on the press should be viewed in the context of broader unrest in Serbia. The protests originated in late 2024 after a collapsed railway station canopy in Novi Sad killed multiple people. Since then, students and civil society groups have mobilized against corruption and authoritarian governance.

In earlier CPJ reporting from June 2025, 15 physical attacks affecting 23 journalists were documented—ranging from assaults and phone snatching to public officials intimidating reporters. CPJ also tried to get a comment from Serbia’s Ministry of the Interior but received no response.

Observers warn that this increased targeting of journalists reflects a dangerous shift: as the government tightens control over protests, it also appears to be eroding press protections. If remaining unchecked, the pattern threatens not only media freedom but Serbia’s democratic standards and its credibility with EU partners.

Reference – 

Serbia police target journalists as anti-government protests escalate