WestBalkanNet (WBN) expresses its full solidarity with and support for its member Balša Božović and his family, who have been subjected to public targeting, labeling, and threats in Serbia’s pro-government media space.
During the TV Pink program Hit Tvit, Božović and members of his family were portrayed as a threat to the Serbian state, with serious accusations and insulting characterizations made without any evidence. The program was broadcast on a television channel with a national frequency, which lends additional weight to this narrative and contributes to an atmosphere of public intimidation.
Particularly concerning is the fact that the program featured Serbia’s Minister of the Interior, Ivica Dačić, and the President of the National Assembly of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, meaning that the country’s highest-ranking state officials directly contributed to legitimizing messages targeting an individual and his family. In addition, the program included Vladislav Dajković, a politician from Montenegro, who also contributed to the normalization of this type of narrative.
These attacks are not an isolated incident, but rather part of a broader pattern in which critical voices, civil society actors, and those holding different political views are systematically discredited and subjected to pressure within the political system personified by Aleksandar Vučić. Indeed, Balša Božović is not an exception – the targeting of Dinko Gruhonjić and Milivoj Bešlin, who are also WBN members from Serbia, confirms that this is an established practice. Such conduct creates an atmosphere of fear, normalizes hate speech, and seriously undermines democratic standards in Serbia.
WBN warns that the systematic targeting of individuals and their families represents a dangerous mechanism of political retaliation that can have serious consequences for their safety and fundamental human rights. We call on all domestic and international actors to clearly condemn such practices and demand accountability from those who enable and encourage them.
WestBalkanNet: Regional Forum for Democracy, Reconciliation, and Strategic Analyses (WBN)
