08 Jul NUNS and Civic Initiatives deliver a symbolic ‘award’ to Aleksandar Šapić
Belgrade, 2 July 2025
The Secretary General of the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS), Tamara Filipović Stevanović, and Uroš Jovanović from Civic Initiatives, today left “awards” at the entrance of the Belgrade City Assembly for Mayor Aleksandar Šapić, recognising him as the most prominent initiator of SLAPPs — strategic lawsuits against public participation.
These “acknowledgments” were delivered to Šapić on the occasion of the European Day Against SLAPPs.
“Today we are at this location to present him with two awards, covering this year and last. He received one award this April from the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe. The European public voted for Aleksandar Šapić as a prominent public official who has filed strategic lawsuits against public participation. The second award was won last year at a SLAPP contest organised by Civic Initiatives and the European Fund for the Balkans, recognising him as an obstacle to transparency,” said Uroš Jovanović from Civic Initiatives.
“I believe this is an excellent moment to remind the Mayor of Belgrade of his actions in recent times and to present him with these awards,” he added.
Tamara Filipović Stevanović, Secretary General of NUNS, stated that Šapić filed two lawsuits against BIRN journalists in 2023.
“He distinguished himself by making very high compensation demands. For each lawsuit, he claimed six million dinars in damages, which is indeed one of the characteristics of a SLAPP. Moreover, his conduct towards journalists is highly questionable — even during court hearings in these cases, he shouted and made false statements. The European Day Against SLAPPs is the right occasion to once again highlight to him that such behaviour is unacceptable, especially for someone holding a high public office,” Filipović Stevanović said.
These “awards” have been presented due to the abuse of the judicial system for the purpose of silencing journalists, organisations, and individuals who speak out in the public interest.
The presentation takes place at a time of intensifying repression, when laws and institutions are increasingly being used as tools against the academic community, students, and civil society.