BCSDN strongly condemns the ongoing smear campaign against prominent civil society activist Maja Stojanović, Executive Director of Civic Initiatives and BCSDN Board Member, as well as broader attacks on independent civil society in Serbia. While public smearing of Civic Initiatives has persisted for months, recent weeks have seen intensified disinformation and intimidation, particularly in response to their advocacy for a transparent selection process for the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM). These attacks threaten the integrity of civic engagement in Serbia, as state-aligned actors and media falsely portray them as foreign operatives “orchestrating” student protests. This is part of a broader trend of increasing pressure on civil society through hostile rhetoric, legal threats, and financial constraints. BCSDN calls on Serbian authorities to cease smear campaigns, urges the EU and international partners to address these pressures, and calls on media outlets to uphold ethical journalism standards. Read the full reaction here.
Source: BCSDN