The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS) strongly condemns the brutal attack on journalist Zoran Strika, deputy editor-in-chief of Radio 021 from Novi Sad, who was physically assaulted on April 12, 2025, while performing his professional duties.
Strika was attacked while attempting to document violence against a citizen on the Danube quay, where two assailants knocked a young man to the ground and took his phone, which they then threw into the river. When Strika tried to record the incident, he was physically assaulted — one of the attackers grabbed him by the neck and tried to seize his phone. Soon after, three more masked men appeared, forcibly took his phone, and threw it into the Danube, clearly intending to destroy the evidence of the assault.
This attack is an act of brutal force and intimidation, and it represents a direct blow to media freedom, freedom of expression, and the public’s right to know. An attack on a journalist simply for doing their job — informing the public — is an act that cannot and must not be tolerated.
The incident was immediately reported to the police, and we demand that the competent authorities conduct a thorough investigation without delay, identify the attackers, and bring them to justice. We expect the public to be informed of the investigation’s results as soon as possible and for those responsible for this organized assault to be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
We warn that the climate of violence and impunity in which journalists operate in Serbia poses a serious threat to democracy and fundamental human rights. NUNS will not remain silent in the face of violence and intimidation of journalists, and we call on the entire media community, civil society, and international organizations to raise their voices against such attacks.
NUNS stands firmly with our colleague Zoran Strika and all journalists who face pressure, threats, and violence every day simply because they are doing their job — in the public interest.
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia
Belgrade, April 12, 2025
