Serbia has passed two controversial laws that give the state greater control over the media. The two texts ‘Act on Public Information and Media’ and ‘Electronic Media’ were approved by a large majority of parliamentarians
SERBIA, Oct 26 (Telegraph News) — Once enacted, these laws will allow operator Telekom Srbija to acquire media. “This gives rise to fears of influence and pressure from the state,” the president of the European Federation of Journalists, Maja Sever, told AFP.
Critics of President Aleksandar Vucic have accused him for years of muzzling the opposition and controlling the media. According to local civil rights NGO CRTA, Vucic occupied almost two-thirds of the national airtime devoted to politicians between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023, alone.
The Ministry of Information and Telecommunications calls the adoption of the laws in a press release “an important step in improving the Serbian media landscape.”
In 2023, Serbia dropped from 79th to 91st place in the world rankings of countries with the most press freedom. The list is compiled annually for the NGO Reporters Without Borders.