Prosecutor’s Office Must Urgently Investigate Responsibility for the Abuse of Security Services Against Journalists and Their Sources

The Regional Academy for Democratic Development calls for the immediate dismissal of Vladimir Orlić as Director of the Security Information Agency and urgent action by the prosecutor’s office in response to the published documents and allegations concerning the wiretapping and surveillance of Radar journalists. Publicly available information provides more than sufficient grounds for prosecutors to act immediately within their powers, secure evidence, and investigate the responsibility of everyone who requested, authorised, and carried out the surveillance.

We see this case as a blatant abuse of the state apparatus to protect the personal and political interests of Aleksandar Vučić and his former regime. Security services have a duty to protect citizens and the state. Using them to target journalists investigating corruption at the highest levels of government undermines the very purpose of state institutions. We demand full accountability for Vladimir Orlić’s abuse of office, as well as accountability for all others involved, regardless of their position.

We particularly stress that the consequences of such surveillance extend beyond attacks on press freedom and threats to journalists’ safety. Wiretapping a newsroom can expose confidential sources—people who have chosen to provide the public with information about corruption and abuses of power. This directly endangers their safety as well. We consider this form of surveillance a clear attempt to identify sources and intimidate everyone willing to speak out. It is a means of silencing people that protects those in power while denying citizens the right to know how power is exercised in their name.

Just three days ago, on 2 November, the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists was observed. This day underscores the duty of institutions to prevent attacks, protect those at risk, and hold perpetrators accountable. In Serbia, that duty must be demonstrated through concrete action in this case.

We demand that all documentation relating to the surveillance be secured immediately, that it be established who had access to the collected data and how they used it, and that journalists and their sources receive effective protection. The investigation must also examine responsibility for authorising the measures: judicial authorisation must not serve as an excuse to avoid scrutiny of their purpose and abuse.

Vladimir Orlić’s dismissal must be the first step. Full accountability for the abuse of state institutions must be the outcome. The prosecutor’s office must act without delay, regardless of the political power of those whose responsibility it is investigating.

Novi Sad, 5 November 2026