We are at a turning point; now is the crucial moment for solidarity.

As he added, out of the 62 cases that public prosecutors initiated during 2024, there was no response from the police to their requests for information gathering in 34 instances. Last year, there were two escapes of defendants charged with assault from house arrest, without notifying the affected colleagues.

"Last year, for the first time, spyware was installed on a colleague's phone, and to this day, that case has not been prosecuted. The colleague has not even been questioned by the Ministry of Interior. If we talk about assaults, there is an increasing number of physical attacks on colleagues, especially on cameramen, at public gatherings, where the police present do not respond. If there is a police response, it is common practice to remove and identify the journalist, while the assailant is neither arrested nor identified. The attackers on journalists are often from the security of the SNS, the event security; it is evident that they are paramilitary forces giving instructions to the Ministry of Interior. This is best seen in the example of 'The Forbidden City', in Pioneer Park, where at any moment at least 30 members of the Ministry of Interior are protecting individuals inside, rather than protecting journalists who come to report. We are left to fend for ourselves, the aggressors are safeguarded by the police’s inaction and the lack of punishment by the courts," emphasized Matić.

From January 1, 2016, to May 31, 2025, the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office has, according to Public Prosecutor Branko Stamenković, initiated 521 cases related to attacks on 683 individuals, or 569 persons. Of these, 373 cases have been recognized as grounds for further criminal prosecution, and as many as 340 cases (54.75%) are being handled by the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime, which has insufficient capacity for such cases.

"It is extremely difficult for us to cope with the overwhelming number of cases that come in daily, which are increasing year by year. Currently, we have nearly 3,500 cases, and it is still not the end of the first half of the year. We expect an increase in the number of cases compared to the previous year, and currently, only six public prosecutors and eight public prosecutor associates are dealing with all these cases, and this is an insufficient capacity. Right now, I am one of two contact points for media representatives because our colleague has been transferred to the first-instance department," emphasized Boris Majlat, the Chief Prosecutor for High-Tech Crime, at the meeting.

The fact that the prosecution has been left without specialized staff in the Special Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime is not only a problem for the investigations of threats against female and male journalists but is also a national security issue and dangerous for all citizens, emphasized Veran Matić.

Marija Babić from NUNS highlighted that there has been a noticeable increase in attacks on journalists and other media representatives, but that the particularly concerning issue is the erosion of institutions.

"I am not sure that everyone is aware of how much institutions undermine themselves. What has been said—lack of prosecutors, but also the fact that prosecutors must send a large number of reminders to the police to undertake investigative actions—is unacceptable. The police’s inaction, or lack of response in cases of attacks when they are at the scene, as well as the arrest of journalists without adequate reasons—such as establishing identity despite having documentation—all point to the erosion of institutions, the police, and the prosecution. We have had many meetings of the Permanent Working Group, and so far we have not received any adequate response to the question of why police response is absent at the scene of attacks on journalists. I regret that no one from the police is present here who can answer these questions," she stated and asked the prosecution whether they are doing everything within their power and jurisdiction to expedite the police in conducting investigative actions, which in cases of attacks on journalists takes too long.

Public Prosecutor Branko Stamenković stated that they have not gotten the impression that the police are delaying, as they always provide a reason if they are late—such as having too many ongoing cases, that officers are engaged in something else, etc.

"What we consider important is to initiate a discussion on expanding the criminal legal framework for the protection of journalists in Serbia. We have recognized that this current framework is neither adequate nor sufficient. We have already discussed this within the Government's working group on journalist safety. A criminal offense that will specifically deal with the protection of journalists must be included in the Criminal Code," said Stamenković.

The escape of defendants charged with assault from house arrest, of which no one from the police or prosecution informed the affected journalists, was particularly emphasized as a problem at the meeting.

"It is a systemic error of the legislator not to have foreseen something as significant as notifying the victim that the detention of the assailant has been lifted and that he is at large. That decision should exist. We had two such cases, and the prosecutorial moral obligation would be to inform the victims. Unfortunately, no one informed me that this happened; I simply did not know," emphasized Prosecutor Majlat.

Veran Matić warned that associations and journalist organizations are losing the trust of their colleagues, the trust of the community.

"I report, I react, I go to the police, to the prosecution, and nothing happens; nothing is initiated. Trust in institutions, as well as in us who represent journalists, is seriously undermined. That is the greatest danger at this moment, the erosion of institutions," emphasized Veran Matić.

Bekir Dudić from the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that if journalists are not satisfied with the police's actions and believe that the law is not being followed, they can report it to the Internal Control Sector, as the Ministry of Interior cannot monitor every individual.

"These are elementary things that must be respected. The police must respect the law and respond if someone is attacked. Any justifications are unacceptable," Marija Babić from NUNS stated in response.

This was also agreed upon by Prosecutor Branko Stamenković.

"A police officer, as well as a prosecutor, absolutely must respond. I am concerned by what I hear and see in the media. A local police officer operates as he sees fit, but it is necessary to inform his superior about it," he emphasized.