Serbia orders expulsion of Italian journalist who reported on media freedom

Serbian authorities have ordered the expulsion of journalist and human rights advocate Massimo Moratti, who has worked for years as a correspondent for the Italian organisation Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT).

Press freedom and free expression organisations have expressed their strong support for Moratti, a Senior Research Affiliate at OBCT, and called on Serbian authorities to immediately withdraw the expulsion order and allow him to remain in the country with his family and continue his professional work.

On 4 September, Serbian authorities rejected Moratti’s application for temporary residence, citing an “unacceptable security risk to the country”.

He was ordered to leave Serbia within 15 days and given a one-year ban on entering the country. The authorities provided no further information about the grounds for their decision.

Moratti, an Italian citizen, is an experienced human rights advocate who has worked in the Western Balkans for more than 20 years. He has lived continuously in Serbia since 2022, when he moved to Belgrade following his partner’s professional assignment in the country.

Since 2005, Moratti has worked as an OBCT correspondent, initially in Sarajevo and later in Belgrade.

Between 2011 and 2018, he worked in Serbia on several EU projects assisting displaced people, refugees and potential asylum seekers. He later moved to London, where he became Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s European Regional Office.

After returning to Belgrade with his family, Moratti joined the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) team, where he has played an important role in the consortium’s media freedom advocacy efforts in the Western Balkans.

Questioned by Serbian intelligence

At the end of January, Moratti and his family applied to the Serbian authorities for temporary residence. His partner was granted temporary residence in May.

In June, Moratti was summoned to a formal meeting with Serbia’s Security Intelligence Agency (BIA), where he was questioned about his current and previous professional activities in the country.

On 3 September, his partner received a call from the police informing her that Moratti was expected at the foreigners’ department the following day. He was then handed the expulsion order.

With the assistance of his lawyer, Moratti appealed the decision on 10 September. He subsequently asked the Administrative Court to suspend enforcement of the order, arguing that his expulsion would result in the forced separation of his family.

Serbian authorities have not provided specific reasons for their decision. Over the past decade under President Aleksandar Vučić, Serbia has faced growing concerns over pressure on independent and critical media.

Cases of physical violence against journalists have increased, while independent media and critical voices have also faced pressure from the authorities.

In March 2026, MFRR and the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform conducted their latest mission to Serbia, focusing on media freedom and journalists’ safety. Moratti took part in the mission on behalf of OBCT. The final report was published in July 2026.

According to the organisations supporting Moratti, the timing of these developments overlaps with the administrative measures taken against him.

They describe the refusal of his residence permit and the subsequent expulsion order as a form of administrative harassment intended to intimidate him and retaliate against his work and his support for journalists in Serbia and the wider region.

“This is a worrying trend,” the media organisations said.

A broader pattern of expulsions

Since mid-2023, the Serbian Interior Ministry (MUP) has refused, revoked or cancelled the residence rights of a growing number of foreign nationals on the basis of a classified security assessment that they represent an “unacceptable security risk” under Article 9 of Serbia’s Law on Foreigners.

The assessment is produced by the “state body responsible for security protection”, which in practice is the Security Information Agency (BIA), although the agency is not named in the decisions.

Two broad waves can be identified. The first, in 2023-2024, largely targeted Russian anti-war activists linked to the Russian Democratic Society. A second, larger wave followed between December 2024 and 2025, coinciding with student protests and affecting mainly Croatian citizens and other Europeans.

The Croatian ambassador counted over 15 Croatian citizens expelled over a period of roughly three and a half months. The MUP has refused to disclose even anonymised decisions to civil society organisations, despite an order from the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance.

The decisions share a common pattern: little or no substantive reasoning, no identification of the body making the security assessment, a deadline of between seven and 30 days to leave the country, a one-year entry ban and an appeal that does not suspend enforcement.

Not an isolated case

Several cases have been documented in recent years.

Russian and Dutch citizen Pyotr Nikitin, who had lived in Serbia for seven years and co-founded the Russian Democratic Society, was detained at Belgrade airport in July 2023 and denied entry despite holding a valid residence permit. He was admitted around 24 hours later following protests and international pressure.

In January 2025, 13-14 foreign participants in an Erste Foundation and NGO Academy workshop were questioned by Serbian authorities at their hotels. They were designated security risks, given 24 hours to leave Serbia and handed one-year entry bans.

In April 2025, Serbian authorities revoked the residence permit of Croatian doctor Arien Stojanović Ivković, who had lived in Belgrade for 12 years and was married to a Serbian citizen, citing an “unacceptable security risk”. The Interior Ministry later revoked the decision in June, referring to “new circumstances”.

Around the same time, the residence permit of Croatian citizen Nikola Francetić, director of NetTV Plus, was revoked on the grounds that he represented a “security risk to the state”.

Other cases have involved people who were not long-term residents. In April 2025, Italian pianist Davide Martello, who had performed at a student blockade in Niš, had his short-term stay cancelled and was given three days to leave Serbia, followed by a one-year entry ban.

A report by the Youth Initiative for Human Rights also documented the case of an unnamed Croatian professional who had lived and worked in Belgrade for seven years. His residence and work authorisation was refused on the grounds that he represented an “unacceptable security risk”. He subsequently left Serbia and resigned from his job after receiving no decision on his appeal for six months.

The broader trend has also been documented by the European Commission in its 2025 Rule of Law Report chapter on Serbia.

The statement in support of Moratti was signed by Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Balkan Free Media Initiative (BFMI), the International Press Institute (IPI), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), Free Press Unlimited, ARTICLE 19 Europe, Index on Censorship and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Caption: Illustrative photo. A broadcast camera captures a protest supporting press freedom in Belgrade, Serbia, 1 April 2026. The rally follows a series of assaults on journalists while reporting in the field. The Journalists’ Association of Serbia reports that the frequency of such attacks has reached a record high in the past 12 months. EPA/ANDREJ CUKIC