Proclamation by UNS on World Press Freedom Day: It is difficult to be a journalist in Serbia

On World Media Freedom Day, the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) has once again sounded the alarm about the precarious state of journalism in our country. Its proclamation, starkly titled "Serbian judiciary continues to confirm its inability to punish the murderers of journalists and their masterminds," lays bare the painful reality that impunity remains the norm.

“

Serbian judiciary continues to confirm its inability to punish the murderers of journalists and their masterminds.

Decades after the murders of Slavko Ćuruvija and Milan Pantić, and the suspicious death of Dada Vujasinović, their killers and those who ordered their deaths remain unpunished. The UNS rightly points out that the circumstances surrounding these tragedies, as well as the killings and abductions of journalists and media workers in Kosovo and Metohija between 1998 and 2005, remain shrouded in darkness. This lack of justice sends a chilling message to all who dare to report the truth.

“

Neither the masterminds nor the murderers of journalists Slavko Ćuruvija and Milan Pantić have been found and punished even after decades, nor have the circumstances of Dada Vujasinović's death been clarified. Nor have those responsible for the murders and kidnappings of journalists and media workers in KiM from 1998 to 2005 been found and punished.

The past year has been particularly brutal, marked by a record number of attacks on our colleagues. The UNS documented 261 cases of endangerment, a staggering 150% increase from the previous year, with physical assaults reaching a five-year high. What is most disturbing is that many of these attacks occurred while journalists were covering protests or elections, often happening in plain sight of police who, instead of protecting them, sometimes became aggressors themselves. This police inaction, or worse, complicity, is a grave concern for press freedom.

“

In 2025, UNS recorded 261 cases of endangerment of journalists, 150 more than the previous year, while the number of recorded physical attacks was at its highest level in the last five years.

Furthermore, the UNS highlights the dire economic situation and the constant threat of dismissals and reprisks from media owners who seek to control editorial policies. The targeting, police repression, and obstruction of work are not abstract concepts; they are the daily reality for journalists in Serbia, and particularly for our colleagues in Kosovo and Metohija. While Western media may focus on broader trends of press freedom globally, the Serbian perspective is one of deep-seated systemic failure, where the judiciary's inaction directly enables violence against those who seek to inform the public. The UNS's demands for accountability, fair media funding, and international scrutiny are not just requests; they are desperate pleas for the survival of independent journalism in Serbia.

“

Especially worrying is the fact that a large number of these attacks occurred in front of the police, who did not react. On the contrary, police officers often physically endangered journalists.