The International and the European Federations of Journalists (IFJ EFJ) called the Serbian police to immediately stop the violence against journalists and to protect them while they are covering the clashes between rival groups of protesters in Serbia.
The press release recalled that the wave of anti-corruption protests that has been ongoing since November 2024 has boiled over into street violence.
“The IFJ and the EFJ call on the Serbian judicial authorities to initiate the necessary legal proceedings. The federations also join UNS and NUNS in calling on high-ranking government officials to stop their smear campaigns against journalists.
“It is clear that the Serbian authorities are actively involved in the brutal repression of journalists who are just trying to do their job. With our affiliates in Serbia, we document all these cases of violence. The perpetrators have been identified. They will be held to account”, the press release quoted EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez as saying.
It also quoted IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger:”The violence and intimidation we are witnessing in Serbia are not isolated incidents, they are part of a deliberate campaign to silence journalists who are simply doing their job. This cannot be allowed to stand. We demand the police to stop violence against journalists and to protect them. When journalists are threatened and attacked, democracy itself is under assault.”
Source: N1
