English version below
"Poštovani,
Verovatno niste dobili informaciju da je ministar informisanja i telekomunikacija Vlade Republike Srbije, 4. aprila 2026. godine u intervjuu za televiziju Tanjug izjavio: „Oni (studenti) nisu svesni da tamo policija ima pravo da ih bije i da ih ubije.“
Obraćam vam se kao predstavnik Asocijacije nezavisnih elektronskih medija, koja je često izložena međunarodnim pritiscima da učestvuje u radnim grupama za izradu novih zakona, izmenu postojećih ili izbor predstavnika regulatornih tela. Istovremeno, zamera nam se što ukazujemo da ni postojeći zakoni, doneti uz naše učešće, kao ni medijske strategije, nisu poštovani ni u mandatu prethodnog ministra, niti njegovih prethodnika.
Sloboda novinara i medija u Srbiji nikada nije bila na nižem nivou.
U takvim okolnostima, dužnost ministra informisanja i telekomunikacija srpske Vlade koja se deklarativno zalaže za proevropske politike, obavlja nekadašnji pripadnik profašističkog pokreta koji je medijsku vidljivost stekao javnim i ponosnim paljenjem zastave Evropske unije.
Zahvaljujući značaju resora kojim rukovodi, ovaj ministar predstavlja simbol aktuelne Vlade Srbije. Predsednik države, predsednica Narodne skupštine i brojni drugi političari vladajuće koalicije utrkuju se da dostignu njegovu retoriku. To nije samo retorika — to je politika nasilja koja je zavladala Srbijom, naročito u proteklih godinu i po dana.
Izjavom da „policija ima pravo da ih bije i da ih ubije“, ovaj ministar je praktično legitimisao nasilje nad studentima koji su mirno protestovali, a koji su bili izloženi brutalnom postupanju parapolicijskih, provladinih grupa i pripadnika interventnih jedinica policije, uključujući torturu i neovlašćena privođenja.
Naravno da se ne radi samo o studentima, već i o građanima, novinarima i medijskim radnicima koji se prepoznaju u pretnjama koje im je uputio ministar.
Istovremeno, ministar opravdava blaćenje i targetiranje novinara putem propagandnih sadržaja koji direktno ugrožavaju njihovu bezbednost, nazivajući to „istraživačkim novinarstvom“.
Svoju netrpeljivost prema nezavisnim i profesionalnim medijima često povezuje sa šovinističkim stavovima prema Hrvatima, dok pojedine medije bez ikakvih dokaza proglašava „antisrpskim“, svesno ih targetirajući i indirektno pozivajući na njihovu zabranu ili eliminaciju iz javnog prostora.
Prema procenama domaćih medijskih i novinarskih udruženja i najvažnijih međunarodnih organizacija za zaštitu medija i slobode izražavanja, u Srbiji je u toku sistematsko uništavanje profesionalnih medija, praćeno intenzivnom represijom nad novinarima, koja može eskalirati i u fizičke napade sa najtežim posledicama. Novinari su godinama izloženi pretnjama, napadima i javnim kampanjama diskreditacije.
Sve navedeno dokumentovano je u izveštajima Evropske komisije, Saveta Evrope i OEBS-a, kao i u sve učestalijim, ali za sada, pretežno verbalnim, reakcijama međunarodnih institucija.
Te reakcije, nažalost, za sada ne daju rezultate. Naprotiv, deluje da dodatno podstiču eskalaciju, jer nasilje raste iz dana u dan, a retorika postaje sve otvorenija — ne samo u opravdavanju nasilja („bije i ubije“), već i u direktnim pozivima na nasilje.
Dodatno zabrinjava što pojedini članovi Vlade nedogovorno pozivaju roditelje da ne upisuju decu na državne fakultete („jer će im deca zavrišti u kovčezima“), šireći dezinformacije i paniku, targetirajući pritom većinu univerziteta u Srbiji.
To što još uvek živimo u državi koja postaje nesnošljiva za normalan život možda jeste naš problem, ali je nerazumljivo da predstavnici Evropske unije i drugih multilateralnih organizacija nastavljaju saradnju sa režimom čiji predstavnici sprovode i javno opravdavaju nasilje, uz konstantno zastrašivanje građana. Takvo postupanje neki bi mogli tumačiti i kao oblik prećutnog saučesništva u nasilju nad građanima Srbije.
Molimo vas da u komunikaciji sa vlastima u Srbiji budete dosledni univerzalnim principima, a ne trenutnim interesima i jednostranim informacijama koje dolaze od predstavnika izvršne vlasti.
U Srbiji više ne postoje institucije kojima se možemo obratiti sa očekivanjem da će postupati u skladu sa zakonom, evropskim standardima i univerzalnim vrednostima.
Svojim svakodnevnim ponašanjem, gestovima, izjavama i nečinjenjem, vlasti Srbije suštinski su odstupile od sopstvenih strateških opredeljenja, uključujući evropski put, kao i sprovođenje obaveza preuzetih međunarodnim ugovorima.
Kada vidimo predstavnike međunarodne zajednice kako iskazuju podršku vlastima čiji predstavnici opravdavaju nasilje nad studentima i novinarima, dok se istovremeno obesmišljava pravni sistem i amnestiraju počinioci nasilja, postavljamo pitanje da li će uslediti adekvatna reakcija u cilju sprečavanja širenja ekstremizma prema medijima, studentima, aktivistima i građanima Srbije.
Verujemo da većina vas deli vrednosti koje i mi zastupamo. Zato vas pozivamo da učinite sve što je u vašoj moći kako bi se sačuvali minimalni uslovi za profesionalno informisanje u Srbiji. Profesionalni mediji su od ključnog značaja za bezbednost ne samo Srbije, već i regiona i Evrope.
Nažalost, država Srbija finansijski i na druge sistematske načine podržava medije koji svakodnevno šire dezinformacije i govor mržnje, čime destabilizuje ne samo sopstveno društvo, već i region i širi evropski prostor.
Važno je da znate: na osnovu vaših postupaka biće jasno kakva je Evropa danas i kakvi su planovi njenih institucija.
S obzirom na to da postoje osnovi sumnje da pojedini ministri čine krivična dela, a da pravosudni sistem u Srbiji ne reaguje adekvatno, unapred vas obaveštavamo da ćemo podneti predstavku Evropskom sudu za ljudska prava.
Sloboda je univerzalna vrednost — za vas, za nas koji ovde živimo, kao i za one koji su zbog njenog nedostatka napustili zemlju. Ugrožavanje slobode u ovom regionu znači i ugrožavanje slobode u Evropi.
Srbija trenutno predstavlja izvor novih bezbednosnih izazova. Razorene institucije, uključujući Tužilaštvo za visokotehnološki kriminal i Tužilaštvo za organizovani kriminal, direktno utiču na borbu protiv organizovanog kriminala na evropskom i globalnom nivou.
Ovo je povezano i sa sistematskim pritiscima na istraživačke medije koji otkrivaju slučajeve od javnog značaja, a koje nadležna tužilaštva potom ne procesuiraju.
Aktuelne vlasti očigledno nastoje da zaustave evropski put Srbije, što predstavlja ozbiljnu pretnju budućnosti zemlje kakvu su definisali međunarodni sporazumi i kakvu žele njeni građani.
Molimo vas da razmotrite sve dostupne činjenice i pomognete građanima Srbije, jasno razlikujući odgovorne od nedužnih i preduzimajući odgovarajuće mere.
Pre nego što bude kasno, možda i prekasno.
Stojimo vam na raspolaganju".
Veran Matić
Predsednik Upravnog odbora Asocijacije nezavisnih elektronskih medija
Član Stalne radne grupe za bezbednost novinara
Veran Matić's letter to the European institutions regarding the statement of Minister Boris Bratina
The President of the Board of Directors of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) and a member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, Veran Matić, wrote to the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, the OSCE and the European Court of Human Rights regarding the statement by the Minister of Information and Telecommunications of Serbia, Boris Bratina, that students are not aware that "the police have the right to beat and kill them". We quote the letter in its entirety:
"Dear Sir/Madam,
You are likely unaware of the fact that the Minister of Information and Telecommunications of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, stated on April 4, 2026, in an interview with Tanjug Television: “They (the students) are not aware that the police there have the right to
beat them and kill them.”
I am addressing you as a representative of the Association of Independent Electronic Media, which is often subjected to international pressure to participate in working groups for drafting new laws, amending existing ones, or selecting members of regulatory bodies. At the same time, we are criticized for pointing out that neither the existing laws — adopted with our participation—nor media strategies have been respected, either during the mandate of the previous minister or his predecessors.
Freedom of journalists and the media in Serbia has never been at a lower level.
Under such circumstances, the duty of the Minister of Information and Telecommunications in a government that declaratively supports pro-European policies is performed by a former member of a pro-fascist movement who gained media visibility by publicly and proudly
burning the European Union flag.
Given the importance of the portfolio he leads, this minister represents a symbol of the current Government of Serbia. The President of the Republic, the Speaker of the National Assembly, and numerous other politicians from the ruling coalition compete to match his
rhetoric. This is not merely rhetoric — it is a policy of violence that has taken hold in Serbia, especially over the past year and a half.
By stating that “the police have the right to beat them and kill them,” this minister has effectively legitimized violence against students who were peacefully protesting and who were subjected to brutal treatment by paramilitary, pro-government groups and members of
special police units, including torture and unlawful detentions.
Of course, this does not concern only students, but also citizens, journalists, and media workers who recognize themselves in the threats issued by the minister.
At the same time, the minister justifies smear campaigns and the targeting of journalists through propaganda content that directly endangers their safety, labeling it “investigative journalism.”
He frequently links his hostility toward independent and professional media with chauvinistic attitudes toward Croats, while arbitrarily labeling certain media outlets as “anti-Serbian,” thereby deliberately targeting them and indirectly calling for their banning or removal from the public sphere.
According to assessments by domestic media and journalistic associations, as well as leading international organizations for the protection of media and freedom of expression, Serbia is currently witnessing the systematic destruction of professional media, accompanied by intensified repression of journalists that could escalate into physical attacks with severe consequences. Journalists have for years been exposed to threats, attacks, and public campaigns of discreditation.
All of the above has been documented in reports by the European Commission, the Council of Europe, and the OSCE, as well as in increasingly frequent — though so far largely verbal — reactions by international institutions.
Unfortunately, these reactions have not produced results. On the contrary, they appear to encourage further escalation, as violence is increasing day by day and rhetoric is becoming ever more explicit — not only in justifying violence (“beat and kill”), but also in directly calling for it.
It is additionally alarming that certain members of the Government irresponsibly call on parents not to enroll their children in public universities (“because their children will end up in coffins”), spreading disinformation and panic while targeting most universities in Serbia.
The fact that we still live in a country that is becoming increasingly unbearable for normal life may be our problem, but it is incomprehensible that representatives of the European Union and other multilateral organizations continue to cooperate with a regime whose officials implement and publicly justify violence, while constantly intimidating citizens. Such conduct could be interpreted by some as a form of tacit complicity in violence against the citizens of Serbia.
We urge you, in your communication with the authorities in Serbia, to remain consistent with universal principles rather than guided by current interests and one-sided information provided by representatives of the ruling government.
In Serbia, there are no longer institutions we can turn to with the expectation that they will act in accordance with the law, European standards, and universal values.
Through their daily behavior, gestures, statements, and inaction, the authorities in Serbia have effectively deviated from their own strategic commitments, including the European path and the implementation of obligations undertaken through international agreements.
When we see representatives of the international community expressing support for authorities whose officials justify violence against students and journalists, while the legal system is being undermined and perpetrators of violence are being effectively amnestied, we
must ask whether an adequate response will follow to prevent the spread of extremism toward media, students, activists, and citizens in Serbia.
We believe that most of you share the values we advocate. Therefore, we call on you to do everything within your power to preserve at least the minimum conditions for professional journalism in Serbia. Professional media are essential not only for the security of Serbia, but also for the region and Europe.
Unfortunately, the Serbian state financially and systematically supports media outlets that daily spread disinformation and hate speech, thereby destabilizing not only its own society but also the region and the broader European area.
It is important for you to understand: your actions will define what Europe is today and what the plans of its institutions are.
Given that there are grounds for suspicion that certain ministers are committing criminal offenses, and that the judicial system in Serbia is not responding adequately, we inform you in advance that we will submit an application to the European Court of Human Rights.
Freedom is a universal value—for you, for us who live here, and for those who have left the country due to its absence. Threats to freedom in this region also mean threats to freedom in Europe.
Serbia currently represents a source of new security challenges. Devastated institutions, including the Prosecutor’s Office for High-Tech Crime and the Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime, directly affect the fight against organized crime at the European and global
level.
This is also linked to systematic pressure on investigative media that uncover cases of public importance, which the competent prosecutors then fail to process.
The current authorities are clearly attempting to halt Serbia’s European path, which poses a serious threat to the country’s future as defined by international agreements and as desired by its citizens.
We ask you to consider all available facts and assist the citizens of Serbia by clearly distinguishing between those responsible and the innocent, and by taking appropriate measures.
Before it is too late—perhaps even too late already.
We remain at your disposal.
Veran Matić
President of the Managing Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media
Member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists