**Media Under Attack: Incidents Doubled in Serbia**
The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) has released its latest monitoring report for Serbia. According to the report, there were almost twice as many incidents involving the media in 2024 compared to the previous year.
**Increased Threats**
In 2024, the Mapping Media Freedom (MapMF) report recorded 83 alerts involving 117 persons or entities related to media. This is a significant increase from 49 documented press freedom violations in 2023. The majority of incidents were verbal attacks, with at least 14 death threats.
**Attacks on Independent Media**
Independent media and critical voices face constant threats for their reporting. The report lists various attacks on journalists, including Ana Lalic Hegedus, Dinko Gruhonjic, Vojin Radovanovic, N1 Belgrade, Nova S, FoNet journalist Tamara Skrozza, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
**Physical Attacks**
The MapMF report documented 14 cases of physical attacks, most of which were initiated by private individuals. At least 10 journalists were assaulted by demonstrators in protests after the Novi Sad Railway Station tragedy.
**Alarming Cases**
One alarming case was against Ljubomir Stefanovic, who was reportedly abducted by the Serbian Security Intelligence Agency (BIA) and held at a Belgrade police station for criticizing the president. His phone was also seized and hacked.
**Legal Cases**
Of the eight legal cases documented by MapMF, three were initiated by the judiciary and involve the Crime and Corruption Reporting Network (KRIK), which is continually harassed with lawsuits as a means of intimidation.
Read More @ n1info.rs