United Group employees were notified in a corporate letter late last night that Dragan Šolak, founder of United Group and chairman of the Advisory Board, as well as Viktorija Boklag, CEO, have been removed from their current positions, N1 reports.
It was stated that Stan Miler and Libor Vončina were appointed as executive directors and deputy executive directors, respectively. Employees were told that everything was functioning as before in all markets.
Following these sudden changes, the editors, concerned about the future of free journalism at UM, sent a letter to the international public as well as to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the relevant commissioners, and members of the European Parliament - the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the International Press Institute (IPI), and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), according to N1.
The letter, titled An Appeal for the Protection of Independent Journalism in Southeast Europe, states:
We, the editors of media outlets operating within United Media, a member of United Group (UG), are deeply concerned by the recent decision of BC Partners, the majority shareholder of UG, to dismiss the company's founder, Mr. Dragan Šolak, and the group's CEO, Ms. Viktorija Boklag, without public explanation.
This decision caused serious disquiet among journalists and editors across our media network. From the very beginning, Mr. Šolak has been a consistent and principled advocate for independent journalism in the Balkans. In an environment of constant and coordinated attacks by regimes with authoritarian tendencies – particularly in Serbia – Mr. Šolak has provided unwavering support and protection of editorial independence, even under enormous political and economic pressures.
Any other businessman would likely have succumbed to such relentless attacks: smear campaigns, regulatory pressures, and direct interference. But Mr. Šolak believed in our mission – to provide the public with accurate, professional, and independent information – and resisted all attempts to infringe on editorial freedom.
We are concerned that the sudden removal of Mr. Šolak and Ms. Boklag could mean that BC Partners is exposed to political pressure and opens up room for editorial influence from governments and interest groups hostile to media freedom. This would be a serious blow to one of the few islands of independent journalism in Southeast Europe.
Therefore, we make the following appeal:
That BC Partners publicly affirm its commitment to preserving the independence of all editorial teams within United Media;
That no personnel or managerial decisions are made that could jeopardize or diminish this independence;
That European institutions and organizations for the protection of journalists actively monitor the situation and help preserve one of the last strongholds of free and professional journalism in the Balkans.
Journalists within United Media have faced threats, intimidation, and smear campaigns precisely because they have remained independent. They report truthfully and courageously, in the service of the public interest.
The media outlets within our network are not just businesses – they are key public institutions that provide accurate, verified information to millions of citizens every day in countries where democratic standards and media freedom are increasingly under threat.
We urge you to recognize the potential consequences of this change and to take a clear stance – before political influence replaces journalistic integrity on one of the few remaining platforms for free expression in our region.
Editors and journalists of United Media
Igor Božić, N1 Serbia program director
Tihomir Ladišić, N1 Croatia program director
Amir Zukić, N1 Bosnia and Herzegovina Program Director
Katja Šeruga, N1 Slovenia editor-in-chief
Slobodan Georgiev, program director of New Serbia
Mihailo Jovićević, editor-in-chief of Nova.rs
Ranko Pivljanin, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Nova
Dragoljub Petrović, editor-in-chief of Danas
Vesna Mališić, editor-in-chief of Radar
Marta Evtimova, Chief Producer, Nova Broadcasting Group
Jelena Ćorluka, editor of Nova M
Mihailo Jovović, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Vijesti Crna Gora
Radomir Krackovic, editor-in-chief of TV Vijesti
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