One notable example of strategic legal pressure in Serbia is the wave of lawsuits filed by the construction company Millennium Team, which, over a period of just a few months, initiated as many as 34 lawsuits — 27 directly against newsrooms and journalists, and the remainder against political actors and public figures who spoke publicly about the company’s operations. According to reporting by CINS, the trigger for this wave of lawsuits was statements made by opposition politicians regarding alleged corrupt practices and questionable contracts in Vranjska Banja and Leskovac, which local and national media outlets subsequently republished in the public interest.
Among those brought before the courts was the news agency JugPress, a regional news portal based in Leskovac. JugPress was sued simply for republishing statements made at a press conference, without adding any commentary or interpretation. The Higher Court in Belgrade, which has jurisdiction over media disputes, later determined that the act of republishing statements that were already publicly available could not constitute grounds for awarding damages for alleged harm to business reputation. This confirmed that the media have the right to republish accurate information and statements already made in the public sphere, especially when they concern issues of public interest.
According to Cenzolovka, the high amounts initially sought in these lawsuits — in some cases up to EUR 100,000 — were reduced during the course of proceedings. In expert analyses, this was interpreted as an attempt to mitigate criticism that the lawsuits constituted an abuse of the judicial system to intimidate the media. In the JugPress case, the court’s decision to dismiss the claim further underlined the importance of court practice that protects the freedom to disseminate information.
It is particularly noteworthy that many of the newsrooms sued in these proceedings collaborated with one another, exchanged information on the course of the cases, and received support from media associations such as NUNS and NDNV. This was reported in detail by SafeJournalists.net and other regional sources. Transparency and the ongoing provision of information to the public about the status of these lawsuits ensured that the pressure did not fall solely on individual outlets, but that each lawsuit gained public visibility.
The example of JugPress demonstrates how local and regional media, despite having limited resources, can defend the right to inform the public when they have access to professional legal assistance and act within a network of solidarity. Ultimately, the court ruling in JugPress’s favour remains a significant reminder that in a democratic society, not every republished statement can be treated as defamation or an attack on business reputation.
This document was prepared within the framework of the Civil Society Development Hub of the Western Balkans project, financed by Sida, and implemented by the BCSDN.
The content of this document, the information and the views expressed in it do not represent the official position and opinion of Sida and BCSDN. The responsibility for the information and views expressed in this document rests entirely with the author.
