UNS and DNKiM marked the International Day of Press Freedom: You Killed Justice, but Truth Lives

The Association of Journalists of Serbia and the Association of Journalists of Kosovo and Metohija marked the International Day of Press Freedom in front of the Cultural Center in Gracanica, where they drew attention to the issues faced by Serbian media outlets in Kosovo. They also demanded justice for journalists who were killed or kidnapped during the war.

The symbolic action "Five minutes of deafening silence" began with a minute of silence for the victims of the massacre at the "Vladislav Ribnikar" Elementary School in Dubona and Orasje, after which the proclamation of the UNS was read, stating that in 2023, the UNS documented a total of 140 cases of threats, pressures, and attacks.

President of the Association of Journalists of Serbia, Zivojin Rakocevic, stated that the past year marked yet another year of decline for one of the most important categories in the history of mankind, namely dialogue.

"Once again this year, dialogue suffered worldwide, our colleagues suffered, conversations with people, everything that we inherit as the most important values of humanity. Does it make sense to say that today is a dark day for this profession, knowing that an entire community and profession are afraid to use their native language in Kosovo and Metohija, realizing today, after 20 years, that some of our colleagues are revising the tragic events of March 17 as if nothing happened? From this place, we send a message to all those who tragically violated dialogue and truth, who forgot that Slavko Curuvija was a professional and a human being and released the perpetrators, that we know how tragic it is to work for truth, yet we must be proud because we work for that truth. We must loudly say what we have been repeating for the past months: You killed justice, but truth lives," Rakocevic said.

Ivana Vanovac, President of the Association of Journalists of Kosovo and Metohija (DNKiM), stated that there is another silence, louder than the five-minute one, in which the rights of journalists and Serbian editorial offices in Kosovo are violated.

"Every year on this day, all editorial offices mark the International Day of Press Freedom with a five-minute deafening silence. There is a silence louder than the five-minute one that prevails in the media, a silence in which Serbian media in Kosovo face what they face, where lawmakers try to silently pass laws that will mean the disappearance of Serbian media in Kosovo. It's a silence where Serbs in Kosovo read Serbian newspapers they don't have. It's a silence where you can freely forget about objectivity, integrity, everything that makes up quality journalistic content, because you don't have to answer for it," Vanovac said.

She added that there is only one noise, the noise of the political system in Kosovo, which, as she emphasized, is often not understood because there is no translation.

"Media freedom, they say, is an ideal. The maximum we can do is to constantly fight for it," Vanovac concluded.

At the Cultural Center in Gracanica, the "Black Peonies" were also exhibited, which DNKiM awards each year to institutions or individuals who, in their assessment, are not ready to cooperate with journalists. Rakocevic stated that they will be more important for this profession than the "White Peonies" that were awarded.