SafeJournalists: Targeting NUNS is an open call for violence against journalists.
The SafeJournalists network strongly condemns the targeting of the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) by the newly formed pro-government Association of Journalists of Serbia (ANS), which labels NUNS as an organization that "supports the organizers of riots." This statement has been reported by at least 20 media outlets in Serbia, while five media outlets have published articles in which NUNS is described as a "political front supporting anti-Serbian, Ustaša, and destructive ideologies," thereby directly endangering the safety of the members and employees of this association.
Due to the expected heavy traffic in Belgrade on Saturday, June 28, and the resulting difficulties in movement, which will slow down journalists in reaching their newsrooms, and consequently in reporting from the events, NUNS has decided, as it did on March 15, to open its office for journalists and media workers who will report from the protests, as well as for its members.
The Association of Journalists of Serbia (ANS) maliciously and incorrectly interprets this call in its statement, accusing NUNS of calling “participants and reporters,” as well as of “providing logistical support to the organizers of political unrest, blockades, and violence – who are increasingly justifiably referred to in public as blockader-terrorists.”
They accuse NUNS of “gross violations of professional ethics,” claiming it is an accomplice “in the attempt to paralyze the state” and asserting that it is “engaging in political activism.”
This statement has prompted many pro-government media, as they call themselves, to label NUNS as an organization that “supports the butcher’s policy of the NDH.”
The SafeJournalists network points out that this is a clear and coordinated targeting of NUNS, which could have negative consequences for the safety of NUNS secretariat members and the journalists who will be present at NUNS's premises on Saturday.
The malicious interpretation by the pro-government journalists’ association aims to discredit an association with international credibility that is a member of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). It is particularly concerning that media reports and articles label NUNS as an organization that “supports the butcher’s policy of the NDH,” directly putting NUNS members and staff at risk and threatening their safety.
We believe that the text disseminated by several media outlets constitutes hate speech against NUNS members, while simultaneously deliberately and maliciously inciting panic and unrest among the public. Such texts directly encourage a lynch atmosphere, which is deeply troubling in a society striving for democratic values and the rule of law.
Therefore, we call on the relevant institutions in Serbia to ensure protection for the journalists who will be at NUNS’s premises on Saturday, as well as to initiate proceedings against hate speech and the spread of panic.
The SafeJournalists network will inform national and international stakeholders about this concerning development and will continue to closely monitor the situation.
Any attack on journalists is an attack on democracy, public interest, and fundamental human rights.
Pristina – Skopje – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Belgrade – Podgorica, June 27, 2025.
Journalists’ Association of Kosovo
Journalists’ Association of Macedonia
BH Journalists Association
Croatian Journalists' Association
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia
Media Trade Union of Montenegro
