On the occasion of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (November 2), the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) warns that Serbia continues to live in an atmosphere of impunity, where attacks on journalists go unpunished and the murders of journalists remain unresolved.
When in the same country three murders of journalists – Dada Vujasinović, Slavko Ćuruvija, and Milan Pantić – remain without final justice, it becomes clear that the system cannot and does not want to protect journalists and media freedom. The acquittal in the Ćuruvija case is a symbol of the collapse of justice and a message that the truth has no protection from the state.
Data collected by IJAS further confirm this bleak picture: in 2025, there were 238 recorded attacks and pressures on journalists in Serbia. Of these, 136 were reported to the authorities, while only one resulted in a conviction — the same as the previous year.
There are currently 126 ongoing proceedings before prosecutors, but the number of unreported cases clearly reflects journalists’ lack of trust in institutions and the culture of impunity.
Since the beginning of the year, a record number of physical attacks have been recorded, especially during protests and public gatherings. Photojournalists and reporters covering protests have been particularly targeted, and what is especially alarming is the growing number of attacks by police officers – an institution that should protect journalists and ensure their safe and unhindered work, not assault them.
Journalists in Serbia are being surveilled and monitored through spyware installed on their phones, while investigations into these cases have been stagnating for months. Such inefficient and non-transparent actions by the competent authorities further deepen mistrust and confirm that impunity has become the rule.
IJAS warns that there is no consistent prevention or systemic protection for journalists in Serbia. Attacks remain unpunished, investigations drag on for years, and the message this sends is that violence against journalists is permitted.
We call on the competent institutions – the police, prosecution, and courts – to urgently take measures to ensure:
- faster and more effective investigations,
- consistent prosecution of perpetrators,
- the establishment of efficient mechanisms to protect journalists in the field, especially during protests.
The impunity for attacks on journalists endangers not only their safety – it undermines the fundamental values of democracy, freedom of expression, and the public’s right to be informed.
NUNS will continue to monitor all cases of attacks and pressures on journalists, provide support to colleagues who are targets of violence, and demand accountability from all institutions whose silence and inaction contribute to the culture of impunity.
Journalism is not a crime. An attack on a journalist is an attack on the public interest.
IJAS will continue to monitor all cases of attacks and pressures on journalists, provide support to colleagues who are targets of violence, and demand accountability from all institutions whose silence and inaction contribute to the culture of impunity.
Journalism is not a crime. An attack on a journalist is an attack on the public interest.
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS)
Belgrade, November 2nd, 2025
