A series of protests has broken out across Europe and North America after revelations suggested that United Group, a Dutch-based media conglomerate, may be working in tandem with Serbia’s state-owned Telekom Srbija to weaken one of the last remaining bastions of independent journalism in the country. The controversy underscores the fragile state of press freedom in Serbia and the growing role of foreign companies in shaping its media landscape.

Outside a sleek office block near Amsterdam’s Schiphol International Airport, about 20 Serbian diaspora activists recently gathered to stage a protest against United Group B.V. Their presence, marked by handmade placards and a solemn moment of silence, was intended to draw attention to allegations that the company is undermining United Media, its own subsidiary, which owns several outlets in Serbia, including the respected broadcaster N1.

The demonstration coincided with reports published by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and its Serbian partner KRIK, which detailed a leaked recording between Stan Miller, CEO of United Group, and Vladimir Lučić, head of Telekom Srbija. Protesters held banners reading “N1 for all, all for N1,” signaling solidarity with United Media’s embattled leadership.

“It is shocking a Dutch company would try to limit media freedom in Serbia,” said protest organizer Dunja Raduluv, who described the move as a betrayal of democratic values.

The controversy centers around a secretly recorded conversation in which Miller and Lučić

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