Press freedom in Serbia under violent attack, say journalists

Press freedom in Serbia is facing a "dangerous turning point" after mounting pressure on independent outlets from ministers and state-backed media, a group of senior editors has warned.

- Michael Savage Media editor

The group, all from publications in the independent United Media group, said their reporters faced "constant harassment, physical attacks and smear campaigns" after their reporting in the country, which has been gripped by protests against its autocratic president, Aleksandar Vučić.

Their intervention follows what appears to have been the largest anti-corruption demonstration in Serbia's history this month. The gathering in Belgrade marked the culmination of four months of anti-government protests after the collapse of a concrete railway station canopy in the northern city of Novi Sad in November. Civil society groups have been warning for months about an increasingly hostile environment for independent media since the train station collapse, which killed 16 people and set in force a backlash against Vučić's pro-Russia administration.