Growing concerns over media freedom and impunity in Serbia have intensified following a court ruling ordering the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation to pay more than one million RSD in damages in a defamation case brought by individuals previously acquitted of the 1999 murder of journalist Slavko Ćuruvija. The ruling followed a public statement by the Foundation criticising the acquittals and renewing calls for justice after years of legal proceedings surrounding one of Serbia’s most emblematic journalist murder cases. International media freedom organisations warn that the unusually high damages risk creating a chilling effect on investigative journalism, public debate, and efforts to address impunity for attacks against journalists. The Foundation has announced it will appeal the ruling, while concerns continue to grow over the deteriorating environment for media freedom and journalist safety in Serbia, where attacks, intimidation, and pressure against independent media remain on the rise. Read more here.
Source: efj