Bangladesh, Oct. 15 -- In a case that has sparked widespread concern over press freedom and political influence in Serbia, prosecutors have ordered the independent investigative outlet KRIK to hand over an audio recording that exposed apparent efforts to manipulate the countrys media landscape. The recording, part of a joint investigation by KRIK and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), revealed a conversation between top executives of Serbias state-controlled telecommunications company and a major private media group discussing strategies to undermine one of Serbias last independent broadcasters.

The decision by prosecutors to pursue the whistleblower instead of probing the conversations contents has drawn sharp...