Jan Bratu: Smear campaigns are often a prelude to violence - yes, words carry weight.

As we observe the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists this week, we pay tribute to the courage of those who have risked – and all too often lost – their lives simply for doing their job. We are reminded that impunity for these crimes is not just an attack on journalists – it is an attack on justice, democracy, and the rule of law.

The United Nations General Assembly, through Resolution 68/163 adopted in December 2013, proclaimed this day to draw global attention to one of the most urgent challenges for freedom of expression and access to information – the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity for crimes committed against them.

According to data from the UNESCO observatory on killed journalists, since 1993 more than 1,800 journalists have been killed worldwide.

In some parts of the world, targeted attacks on journalists have become so systematic that the term "journicide" – the killing of journalism – can be applied. According to the International Federation of Journalists, at least 225 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, many of them as a result of direct targeted attacks. Journalists have protected status under international humanitarian law.

Solidarity among journalists is essential. I appreciate the principled solidarity of ANEM in initiating the action "Voices from Gaza", as well as the action "Minute of Silence" organized by the journalistic associations NUNS and UNS together with the Institute for Media Diversity of the Western Balkans.

I must also remind you of the unresolved murders and kidnappings of journalists in Kosovo between 1998 and 2005. Out of 18 cases – 18 human lives – only one has been resolved, before the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. These journalists must not be forgotten, and I support the initiatives of the European and International Federation of Journalists calling for action and accountability.

According to the United Nations, only about 14.8% of the mentioned 1,800 cases have been adjudicated. This means that in nearly nine out of ten cases, perpetrators remain unpunished.

Even when trials occur, the processes often stop at the immediate perpetrators, while those who ordered or financed the crimes remain beyond the reach of justice. This is the essence of impunity – and it is precisely this impunity that fuels new violence.

This is not a problem that does not concern us. Serbia knows this very well.

We remember Radislava "Dada" Vujasinović, found dead in her apartment in Belgrade on April 8, 1994.

We remember Slavko Ćuruvija, killed in front of his home in Belgrade on April 11, 1999.

And we do not forget Milan Pantić, killed on June 11, 2001, in front of his building in Jagodina.

Decades later, their cases – as well as the cases of many other attacked journalists – remain unresolved. They are painful reminders of the dangers faced by journalists who bravely inform the public about issues of public interest. They were independent and critical voices, silenced to prevent the spread of "uncomfortable truths and opinions." We must not overlook the campaigns of defamation and disinformation that preceded their murders.

These heinous crimes clearly show that justice delayed is justice denied.

But impunity is not just a failure of the judiciary – it is a threat to society as a whole.

When journalists are silenced, corruption grows, public debate weakens, and citizens lose trust in institutions.

A society without free and safe journalism cannot be a true democracy.

State authorities have a positive obligation to protect journalists. This means that attacks must be immediately and independently investigated, all responsible parties prosecuted, and legal remedies provided to victims and their families.

This obligation is clearly defined in international and regional human rights instruments, such as the European Convention on Human Rights, the practice of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as numerous protocols and resolutions of the United Nations, including those of the Security Council.

The 2018 decision of the OSCE Ministerial Council on the safety of journalists reaffirms these obligations. In this historic document, all 57 OSCE member states, including Serbia, committed to ending impunity and ensuring accountability as a key element in preventing future attacks on journalists.

It is not just about physical attacks.

Defamation campaigns are often a precursor to violence. Yes, words have weight.

That is why the aforementioned OSCE decision expresses "concern over the rise in targeted campaigns that increase the risk of threats and violence against journalists" and specifically calls on politicians and public officials "to refrain from intimidating, threatening, or justifying violence against journalists and to clearly and unequivocally condemn it."

Serbia has taken important steps in line with this decision – such as forming a Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, appointing contact points in the police and prosecutor's office, and establishing a 24/7 SOS hotline for journalists facing threats.

However, much more needs to be done for progress to be real.

Investigations and trials for attacks, both old and new, must be carried out to completion; threats, including those online, must be taken seriously; and public officials must clearly and publicly condemn every attack. Silence in the face of violence is complicity.

The fight against impunity is not just a reckoning with the past – it is also a duty of the present.

The Serbian Public Prosecutor's Office recorded 95 attacks on journalists in 2025. So far, there has been only one conviction. I know that the numbers reported by NUNS and UNS are much higher and include verbal threats and harassment. The situation is more than concerning. Serbian society is deeply polarized, which is reflected in the work of journalists. There must be no impunity for attacks on any journalist. Period.

Ending impunity requires collective action – from governments, the judiciary, police, the media community, civil society, and international institutions. It demands political will, transparency, and perseverance.

Today we are gathered here because we share a common belief: that protecting journalists means protecting the public's right to know, and that no democracy can thrive in an environment where impunity for crimes against journalists prevails.

To confront this challenge, we must adhere to four fundamental principles:

• Prevention – identifying risks before attacks occur.
• Protection – enabling journalists to work freely and without fear.
• Prosecution – ensuring that every perpetrator is held accountable.
• Legal Remedy – providing truth and reparation for victims and their families.

Finally, I want to emphasize that ending impunity for crimes against journalists is not just a legal obligation – it is a moral and democratic imperative.

When journalists are protected, societies become stronger, more resilient, and better informed. When justice is served, truth and accountability prevail.

And when truth and accountability prevail, democracy and the rule of law flourish.

That is why I remain committed to collaborating with you – media representatives – as well as with the institutions of Serbia, in accordance with my mandate and the relevant OSCE and international legal standards, to ensure that journalists in Serbia can work freely and safely, and that crimes against them do not go unpunished.