Serbia: Tabloids target individuals on disputed student list

Pro-government tabloids in Serbia are intensifying their rhetoric, targeting individuals named on a purported student list in an effort to disqualify them ahead of potential elections.

Professor Dušan Spasojević of the Faculty of Political Sciences told N1 that this tactic of persecuting political opponents is well-established and aims primarily to discredit candidates for a student list. "This is some kind of preparation for the campaign, the authorities of course cannot target all 250 people nor are they equally interesting to the public," Spasojević explained, noting that regime media will focus on already known figures, such as the Rector of the University of Belgrade, Vladan Đokić.

The authenticity of the list, allegedly published by Informer with 250 names, has been challenged. Reports indicate repeated names and a failure to adhere to gender representation rules. Media personalities have also made disparaging comments about those allegedly on the list. Dragan J. Vučićević, editor-in-chief of TV Informer, questioned the motives of one individual, saying, "I hear Kokanović is boasting that he was promised to be a minister, I don't know of what. I just don't know if it will be with an axe or without."

Spasojević believes that those who agreed to be on the list anticipated pressure from tabloids. "So I think the primary goal is not to discourage them, but to introduce them to the public and disqualify them. And if someone withdraws due to the pressure, that's an additional bonus," he stated. He recalled that similar tactics were used against the opposition and civil society organizations in previous elections, suggesting the intensity of targeting will continue or even increase.