SafeJournalists: Situation Out of Control – We Demand Urgent Protection for Media Workers in Serbia

After the Students in Blockade called for civil disobedience on June 28, citizens in almost all cities in Serbia began daily street blockades. At the same time, independent journalists and photojournalists reporting from the field and documenting the brutal and illegal actions of the police have become targets – physically attacked, intimidated, and detained.

The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) recorded dozens of cases of pressure, threats, and attacks in the last three days, but some journalists and media workers were unwilling to speak publicly about it.

Journalist of the weekly Radar, Vuk Cvijić, was repeatedly struck with a police shield and elbow, pushed, and physically harassed during a police intervention in front of the Faculty of Law in Belgrade, despite showing his credentials, and there was an attempted theft of his phone. Just the night before, photojournalist Aleksa Stanković was detained while peacefully photographing the breaking of a blockade – in the police vehicle, two officers beat him, demanded that he delete his Instagram account, and eventually broke the memory card from Aleksa's camera while others present observed without reacting. It is suspected that the motive for the violence was a recording where a police officer inappropriately comments on women passing by on the street while on duty. NUNS has already reacted regarding this case.

In an atmosphere of heightened tensions, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić directly incited hostile sentiments toward journalists, calling employees of TV stations N1 and Nova S "terrorists," publicly urging the prosecution to act against their work, and this narrative spread through regime media. Subsequently, the N1 newsroom received numerous messages with death threats. Journalist Žaklina Tatalović from this television was sent a message via the social media platform X from the account @Srbijanac: "Kill Žaklina! Draw a target!".

Photojournalist Gavrilo Andrić, known for regularly documenting protests, also received death threats via Instagram, including a direct threat: "I will kill you, you bastard. With a knife. In the kidney." Andrić has recently been a frequent  target of attacks, and just a few days prior to these threats, he received a direct threat: 'I am going to stab you in the heart with a knife'.

Local media and journalists are also under pressure. Epicentar press from Čačak has been targeted as an "anti-Serbian media", while journalist In medije Verica Marinčić was legitimized by the police and threatened with a misdemeanor charge, despite clearly showing her journalistic accreditation. Journalist of Glas Zaječara Miljko Stojanović reported that a drone was following him to his home, which caused distress to his family, after which he filed a report and gave a statement to the police regarding these incidents.

According to NUNS, since the beginning of this year, there have been more than 160 cases of pressure and attacks on journalists, nearly reaching the number of cases from the entire previous year (166). This data clearly indicates that an increasingly dangerous atmosphere for journalistic work is being created in Serbia.

The SafeJournalists network calls on all relevant institutions, especially the police and the prosecution, to promptly conduct thorough investigations into all cases of threats and violence against journalists and to urgently identify and bring the perpetrators to justice. We particularly urge the Ministry of Interior to investigate the responsibility of its officers and take appropriate action. The lack of response from state authorities further encourages an atmosphere of impunity and jeopardizes the public's right to be informed.

The SafeJournalists network expresses its full support for colleagues in Serbia and calls on the authorities to cease targeting media and to ensure institutional protection for journalists. The highest state officials bear special responsibility for the current situation, especially the President of the Republic, whose statements further incite intolerance toward professional and independent media. In a democratic society, journalists must not be enemies of the state – their task is to testify to the facts in the public interest.

The SafeJournalists network will inform national and international stakeholders about these alarming developments and continue to closely monitor the situation.

Any attack on journalists is an attack on democracy, the public interest, and fundamental human rights.

Pristina – Skopje – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Belgrade – Podgorica, July 3, 2025.

Association of Journalists of Kosovo

Association of Journalists of Macedonia

BH Journalists Association

Croatian Journalists' Association

Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia

Media Union of Montenegro