The European Union (EU) has urged the authorities in Serbia to ensure the unhindered work of journalists and investigate cases of misuse of their personal data.
Pro-government media in Serbia recently published personal data of journalists, including those from Croatia, who were accused of being “foreign agents” who entered Serbia to incite protests and attack the constitutional order.
“Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of a democratic society and a fundamental right in the EU. It is therefore also a key element in Serbia’s integration process into the EU. It is essential that journalists are able to carry out their work in an environment free from threats, violence, intimidation, or mistreatment to ensure citizens’ access to all information,” stated the EU’s response.
A few days ago, Vojislav Šešelj, convicted of war crimes by the Hague Tribunal, publicly revealed identifying documents of several individuals, including a Croatian journalist, claiming they were “spies for Croatia.”
Journalist Matej Devčić, from the Telegram portal – who has since returned to Croatia – expressed surprise, saying he did not know how his personal data ended up in Šešelj’s hands. He suspects that only “state services could have done this, as the only place his document was scanned was at the border crossing by the Serbian Police.”
Thousands of protesters, mostly students, have been protesting in Serbia since the collapse of a shelter at the Novi Sad railway station last November, which resulted in 15 deaths.
Among the protesters’ demands are the removal of charges against those arrested and detained during the protests, as well as criminal proceedings against those responsible for the Novi Sad tragedy and those who assaulted students and professors during the protests.
Devčić was in Serbia to cover the student protests. Šešelj mentioned his name on TV, accusing him of “training the leaders of the protests in Serbia.”
The EU emphasized that it is closely monitoring the protests and that Serbia – as a country aiming for EU membership – must respect its citizens’ right to freedom of expression, reports REL.
The European bloc also expressed concern about cases of violence against protesters and called for the responsible authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
In addition to journalists, several pro-government media in Serbia have also published the personal data of some students, whom they consider to be “organizers of the protests” and accuse of “working for the Croatian secret service.”
The EU stated that any illegal access to personal data of citizens, including journalists, and the publication of such data is unacceptable and must be prosecuted by the competent national authorities.
