Serbia police target journalists as anti-government protests escalate

Berlin, September 25, 2025—Serbian journalists have increasingly reported being deliberately targeted by police, especially when covering police violence, as President Aleksandar Vučić’s authoritarian government toughens its stance against anti-government protests that began 10 months ago with a deadly railway station collapse.

Journalists caught up in the unrest report that police not only fail to protect them from protesters but also deliberately harass, beat, and detain them, prevent filming, and confiscate and destroy their equipment.

In August, local press freedom groups said the attacks were happening “on a near-daily basis.” At least 28 journalists reported that police had targeted them since June 1, 2025, according to CPJ’s review of the most serious cases documented by local press freedom groups.

“CPJ urges Serbia to conduct swift and transparent investigations into dozens of claims of police violence against journalists, and hold the perpetrators to account,” said Attila Mong, CPJ’s Europe representative. “Serbia is at a crossroads, and the authorities should demonstrate a commitment to journalist protection if they take the country’s future accession to the European Union seriously.”

So far this year, the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia has recorded 19 physical assaults, surpassing the 17 in all of 2024. 

CPJ’s emailed request for comment to the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the police, did not receive a reply. 

Since CPJ’s June 3 report, we have documented the following incidents involving the police:

• On September 5, in the northern city of Novi Sad, police attacked and obstructed multiple journalists covering a protest, repeatedly saying that no one was allowed to film police actions.

Officers kicked news site 021 reporter Emir Kahrimanović despite his “Press” vest, visible press card, and attempts to identify himself. 

Police forced  weekly Vreme reporter Katarina Stevanović to lie on the ground for about 15 minutes and told her she could not record. 

Police pushed Nemanja Šarović while he was reporting live for KTV, grabbed his microphone, and smashed it. 

• On September 1, in Novi Sad, a police officer seized the phone of Beta News Agency reporter Božidar Milovac while he was covering a protest. Although Milovac identified himself as a journalist, officers said he was not allowed to film and forced him to delete his footage.

• On August 31, in the northern city of Zrenjanin, traffic police detained KTV reporter Nemanja Šarović, the station’s owner, Danijel Radić, and their driver for several hours after they filmed a ruling Serbian Progressive Party rally. Upon release, the police filed a criminal complaint against the driver for allegedly attacking an officer.

• On August 20, in Novi Sad, police repeatedly hit and violently pushed reporters Lea Apro of news channel N1 TV and Žarko Bogosavljević with Razglas News. Both were wearing “Press” vests and had clearly identified themselves. Apro’s left arm was injured as they documented police dispersing a protest.

• During protests in the capital, Belgrade, on August 13, 14, and 15, several journalists said police targeted them. 

Police beat freelance photojournalist Marija Čolaković, injuring her arms and legs, while she was wearing a “Press” vest and carrying journalist accreditation.

An officer sprayed an unknown chemical substance on Vuk Cvijić, a journalist at the weekly newspaper Radar, while he was covering a protest.

Police struck freelance photojournalist Gavrilo Andrić with a baton on his helmet and knocked him to the ground while he was standing about 100 meters from protesters, wearing a “Press” vest.

Police pushed reporters Teodora Šulj of news site Zoomer and Ana Milosavljević, who works for the news site Mašina. An officer snatched Šulj’s phone as they were filming. 

• On July 29, in Kraljevo, central Serbia, police repeatedly struck Dragan Jeković, a camera operator from Nova TV, with a truncheon. 

• On July 25, in Lazarevac, central Serbia, police detained reporter Dragoljub Đorđević of newspaper Radnički list Kolubara overnight for allegedly participating in a highway blockade. He denied the charges, saying he had been documenting the blockade from the side of the highway. He was released with traffic violation misdemeanor charges.

• On July 2, in Belgrade, police struck Radar journalist Vuk Cvijić with a shield, shoved him, and attempted to seize his phone as he was filming police during a protest.

• On July 1, in Belgrade, police detained freelance photojournalist Aleksa Stanković as he documented a protest. Officers accused him of posting a video on social media of a police officer making inappropriate comments about women passing by during his shift. They forced Stanković into a van, where a masked police officer struck him on the head and demanded he delete his footage and his professional Instagram profile. When he refused, they destroyed his memory card. 

• On June 10, police prevented freelance photojournalist Gavrilo Andrić from documenting a protest in Belgrade. One officer swung at his camera, grabbed his backpack and pulled him, demanding his ID. Although Andrić told police he was a journalist and presented his press card, the officer insisted he leave.