Serbia's president apologises for calling journalist an 'imbecile'

Thousands of protesters gathered in the southern Serbian city of Nis on Saturday in the latest anti-corruption rally to rock the Balkan country after the deadly collapse of a train station last year killed 15 people.

For months, the movement has put increasing pressure on Vucic's government, spurring the resignation of several high-ranking officials, including the prime minister in January.

During a visit to eastern Serbia's Bor on Sunday, the president called a reporter working for the broadcaster RTS in Nis an "imbecile ... who is flattering and making arrangements with protesters".

The remarks were later slammed by media rights groups and the broadcaster, demanding an apology.

"We want to do our work without pressure," RTS said in a statement and called on "all political actors to stop trying to regulate and discipline the media".

On Monday, Vucic apologised in a statement.

"Regardless of the torture that I go through every day... I have no right to call anyone an imbecile and I apologise to the citizens of Serbia and the journalists of the RTS bureau for doing so," he said.

In the statement, Vucic however continued to lambast RTS's reporters for allegedly lacking objectivity in their reporting, saying they were a "disgrace to their profession".

"They are not journalists, but political activists," Vucic added.

Following Vucic's comments, nearly 50 media workers from Nis working for a range of outlets, including Al Jazeera and regional broadcaster N1, said the apology was insufficent, in a signed statement.

"Until a proper public apology is made, we are suspending coverage of all presidential activities," read the statement.

The collapse of the station roof in Novi Sad in November followed extensive renovations to the building, and ignited long-smouldering anger in the country over corruption and the alleged lack of oversight on construction and development projects.

The authorities have wafted between issuing calls for talks and also firing off allegations that the demonstrators are being backed by foreign powers.

To quell the protests, the government has sought to meet several of the student organisers' demands.