In a case that has sparked widespread concern over press freedom and political influence in Serbia, prosecutors have ordered the independent investigative outlet KRIK to hand over an audio recording that exposed apparent efforts to manipulate the country’s media landscape. The recording, part of a joint investigation by KRIK and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), revealed a conversation between top executives of Serbia’s state-controlled telecommunications company and a major private media group discussing strategies to undermine one of Serbia’s last independent broadcasters.

The decision by prosecutors to pursue the whistleblower instead of probing the conversation’s contents has drawn sharp criticism from media watchdogs and journalists, who view it as yet another attempt by the Serbian authorities to intimidate independent media and suppress dissent.

The audio file at the center of the controversy features Vladimir Lučić, the head of Telekom Srbija, and Stan Miller, CEO of United Group, a telecommunications conglomerate owned by British private equity firm BC Partners. During their discussion, the two men allegedly talked about ways to restructure United Group’s media operations in Serbia – particularly its media division, United Media, which runs N1 TV, one of the country’s few independent television networks known for its critical coverage of the government.

“I cannot fire Aleksandra today, as we discussed, okay? I need to make that company very small in Serbia, if you understand what I mean, and separate it,” Miller is heard saying in the recording, referring to Aleksandra Subotić, the long-serving CEO of United Media.

While neither Miller nor Lučić have denied the authenticity of the........

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