"The Serbian judiciary needs to ensure that its jurisprudence concerning defamation is in line with the European Court’s case-law, while politicians, on their part, should be open to uninhibited public criticism and should prevent actions that can have a chilling effect on freedom of expression, especially for journalists," Muiznieks said in a Facebook post.
The human rights commissioner added that concept of defamation should be interpreted in tandem with the freedom of expression, and that the court should not be "overly protective" of an official's reputation, over fear of creating boundaries for journalists.
In June 2016, Serbia’s NIN magazine published an article about Stefanovic, attacking the performance of his ministry and his failure to properly respond to complaints. Stefanovic sued the publication, claiming that the article negatively affected his personal and professional reputation.
