The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS) and the Branch Trade Union of Culture, Arts and Media ‘Nezavisnost’ (GS KUM “Nezavisnost”) have sent an open letter to the highest institutions of the Republic of Serbia, demanding a public and unequivocal condemnation of the killing of civilians and journalists in Gaza. This action was initiated by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ).
Below is the full text of the open letter:
Open Letter to the Institutions of the Republic of Serbia
NUNS and GS KUM “Nezavisnost”: We demand that Serbian institutions clearly condemn the killing of civilians and journalists in Gaza
Dear Sir or Madam,
The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS) and the Branch Trade Union of Culture, Arts and Media ‘Nezavisnost’ are addressing you at a moment when the world is witnessing one of the gravest humanitarian catastrophes of our time.
In the Gaza Strip, civilians are being killed daily by Israeli military attacks, repeatedly displaced, and now systematically subjected to starvation due to the blockade of humanitarian aid. The number of children dying from malnutrition is steadily rising, and new civilian deaths are being recorded every day—people killed while waiting in line for aid.
Thanks to photographs and reports from Gaza, the world has seen what it means when hunger is used as a weapon.
The only remaining witnesses to these crimes and human suffering are local journalists, as access for foreign reporters is strictly prohibited. Despite constant danger to their lives, they continue to report. However, many are now reaching the point of physical collapse—they are starving, losing consciousness and strength, and thereby their ability to do their jobs.
According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), at least 187 journalists and media workers have been killed since the beginning of the war in Gaza. Many more have been injured, and some are reported missing.
Serbian institutions have not only failed to condemn the war crimes committed by Israeli forces, but arms exports from Serbia to Israel have increased thirtyfold since the beginning of the war. We welcome the decision to suspend direct ammunition exports at the end of June and express hope that shipments have not continued through intermediaries.
What is most concerning, however, is that Serbian institutions continue to remain silent about the daily crimes committed against civilians and journalists in Gaza.
We demand that the Republic of Serbia clearly and unequivocally define its position on the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The failure to condemn the blockade of aid and attacks on journalists is not merely a political omission—it is a moral failure.
When truth is starved into silence—it is our duty to speak even louder.
The silence of the institutions of the Republic of Serbia at this moment is and remains a moral and political disgrace.
Sincerely,
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS)
Branch Trade Union of Culture, Arts and Media ‘Nezavisnost’
