The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) strongly condemns the attack on FoNet agency reporter Marko Čonjagić, who was physically assaulted around 11 p.m. last night on Kosovska Street in Belgrade while reporting from a rally in support of Dijana Hrka. According to witnesses, four men (three of them masked) tried to drag him into a fenced-off area, then knocked him to the ground and kicked him. Marko was clearly marked as a journalist, wearing, among other things, a fluorescent vest labeled “press.” IJAS calls on the Ministry of the Interior (MUP) to urgently identify the attackers and on the competent prosecutor’s office to initiate proceedings without delay.
It is particularly troubling that, despite citizens calling out and the victim addressing police officers, a timely and adequate police response did not follow. Police who were present told our colleague he had to go to the Stari Grad police station to report the incident because they were there on a different assignment, which he ultimately did.
We demand that the Internal Control Sector of the Ministry of the Interior examine the actions of the police and Gendarmerie units that were present, and that clear operational guidelines be ensured for the protection of journalists on the scene.
More than 300 incidents targeting journalists and media workers in Serbia have been recorded in the IJAS database since the beginning of 2025, confirming a dramatic increase in risk, especially during civic and student protests. Since March 2025, IJAS has documented over 50 cases in which the police failed to respond to attacks despite their legal obligation—or actively took part in the assaults.
IJAS is providing full legal and logistical support to our FoNet colleague and calls on all newsrooms to promptly report attacks and pressures so cases can immediately enter the record and institutional procedure. An attack on a journalist clearly marked with a “press” sign is a direct blow to the public’s right to be informed. We demand an urgent institutional response and zero tolerance for violence against journalists.
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS)
Belgrade, November 4, 2025
