On Wednesday, April 1, at 10:30 a.m., a protest will be held in front of the Presidency building in Belgrade in response to the attacks on journalists that occurred during the local elections on March 29. Citizens and media representatives are urged to show solidarity and defend press freedom.
The initiative, organized by journalist associations and media organizations, aims to support colleagues who were assaulted while performing their professional duties in the public interest and to draw attention to the increasingly dangerous conditions for journalists in Serbia. Over the past 18 months, pressures, threats, and physical attacks on media workers have steadily risen, with the events of election day representing a peak, as some journalists were directly endangered.
“Attacks on journalists are not isolated incidents, but a systematic assault on the public’s right to know. A society in which journalists become targets of violence is not a free society—it is a space of fear and impunity,” the organizers stated.
The protest will begin at 10:30 a.m., coinciding with the timing of the first attack. Citizens are encouraged to show solidarity, while organizers also call for people in other cities to gather simultaneously at locations of their choice, signaling a united defense of free and safe journalism.
“Journalist safety must be an absolute priority in any democratic society. Professional journalism and truth are endangered where fear prevails and those seeking it are silenced by force. We stand with them—clearly and loudly,” NUNS concluded.
