Bangladesh, Oct. 18 -- A Dutch court has declined jurisdiction in a dispute between the founder of United Group and its current leadership, a decision that many fear could accelerate the decline of independent journalism in Serbia. The case, centered on a corporate governance battle in the Netherlands, has quickly evolved into a test of press freedom more than a thousand kilometers away – in a country where critical media voices are vanishing fast.

In the marble-lined Palace of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal, the hearing might have seemed like an ordinary business dispute. Yet observers, including journalists and human rights advocates, say the implications extend far beyond boardroom politics. The ruling, they warn, could open the ...