24. 07. 2008

INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION OF SERBIA CONDEMNS VIOLENT PROTESTS

Belgrade, July 24, 2008 – Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (Nezavisno udruženje novinara Srbije, NUNS) severely condemns barbarous and destructive behaviour of protestors in the yesterday protest of rightwing organizations on the occasion of the Hague indictee, Radovan Karadzic, arrest.
 
NUNS demands that both the Police and other relevant state institutions take all legal measures in order to put an end to destructive behaviour and to prevent physical attacks against media professionals. Dissatisfaction and resentment caused by political events cannot be considered as an excuse for people who organize street violence. At the same time, those people must be identified and brought before justice.
 
NUNS would like to especially condemn the behaviour of the officials from the Serbian Radical Party (Srpska radikalna stranka), who publicly announced that they would use all the available means to destroy the Constitutional and legal system and regime. 
 
NUNS appeals to the top state institutions, and especially to the Government of Serbia, to publicly condemn such dangerous statements and street violence, and to take all the available measures to preserve peace and safety for their citizens.