BIRN Serbia

On the third day of the Internet Freedom Meet in Belgrade, BIRN presented its months-long research report titled "Hidden in Plain Sight: Telco Accountability Research Using Ranking Digital Rights Methodology".

The research showed that the customers of telecom companies in five Balkan countries and Moldova face challenges in making sure their rights to privacy are respected.

Aleksandar Sapic, the mayor of the Serbian capital of Belgrade, has filed two separate defamation lawsuits against BIRN Serbia, its editor and journalists, claiming that their reporting damaged his reputation and caused him mental anguish.

Following the sad passing of Dejan Anastasijevic, his friends and colleagues have paid tribute to his full and impactful life, his sterling, courageous work in exposing the truth and his warm personality.

Journalists in Serbia have staged a protest after a video targeted BIRN Serbia editor Slobodan Georgiev, calling him a "traitor".

The video was distributed via Twitter and also targeted other independent journalists and portals.

Journalists gathered in front of the Hi Tech Prosecution in Belgrade, demanding that the authorities react and do more to protect journalists.

Slobodan Georgiev. Photo: Belgrade Media Centre.

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network called on the Serbian police and prosecution on Thursday to take action after BIRN Serbia editor Slobodan Georgiev was vilified in an online video.

Belgrade Appeals Court on Friday confirmed that Informer published false information and damaged the reputation of BIRN Serbia editor Slobodan Georgiev in an article published by the tabloid entitled "They Wanted to Snatch 23.2 Million Euros".

State funding for favoured media outlets, a generally poor economic situation and self-censorship among journalists pose a real threat to objective public information and make the outlook for the Serbian media worse year by year, a BIRN Serbia report entitled "Soft censorship, Changes in media sector - from bad to worst", issued on Thursday, writes.

BIRN Serbia and Human Right House organised the first in a series of debates on media freedom on Thursday in Belgrade's Media Centre.