Braathu: Rising Pressure on Journalists in Serbia and Other OSCE States Is Deeply Concerning

Jan Braathu (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC/MO)

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media, Jan Braathu, said in Belgrade on June 21 that Serbia, along with other OSCE member states, were registering deeply troubling signs of increased pressure on journalists and media outlets.

“Clearly echoing the trend are legal harassment, intimidation, threats of surveillance, physical and online attacks, and the threat is evident across the OSCE region, not only here, in Serbia. But since we are here, in Serbia, I say that we are concerned about what is happening in Serbia,” Braathu said during his opening speech at a panel organized by the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), titled, “Between Pressure and Resistance: Media Freedom Mirrored in NUNS Reports.”

Braathu, who until recently served as head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, pointed out that for some journalists - especially women, and those reporting on corruption, environmental issues, and local governments - threats were not isolated incidents but rather ongoing, persistent challenges. He has warned their safety was further endangered by silence and inadequate responses, “If not the outright incitement” of pressure by relevant bodies.

Braathu, who took over as OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media last December, underlined that the ongoing second round of elections for members of Serbia’s Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) “gives reason for serious concern.” He said the process raised red flags over its compliance with the Media Law, with many pointing to significant flaws and the risk of undermining both the independence of REM and the credibility of Serbia’s entire media regulatory framework.