Actual attacks on journalists, Vuk Cvijić, Belgrade, 02.07.2025.

Actual attacks on journalists, Vuk Cvijić, Belgrade, 02.07.2025.

Translations: Beograd 

  • Case info

  • Personal info

  • Regional center
    Belgrade
  • Who was attacked?
    Journalist
  • Gender
    Man
  • Victim(s) name
    Vuk Cvijić
  • Media outlet

  • Name of the media outlet
    Radar
  • Type of media platform
    Printed Media
    Online Media
  • Source of information about the incident
    Vuk Cvijić
  • Incident Data

  • Date of incident
    02.07.2025
  • City
    Beograd
  • Were authorities informed?
    Case was reported to the Prosecutor’s Office
  • Perpetrator(s)
    Not known
  • Attacked by
    Authorities - individuals
  • Means of incidents and attacks
    In person
  • Type of incident
    Actual attacks on journalists
  • Type of attack
    Physical attack without physical injury
  • Action by the authorities

  • Legal status of the case
    The procedure is in the phase of gathering information about all the circumstances of the case
  • Type of violation
    Security threat
    Light physical injury
  • Action taken by the journalists' association

  • Was journalist's association informed by the journalists directly?
    Yes
  • What was the reaction of the journalists' association?
    The association reacted publicly
    The association sent a letter of concern to the institutions
    The association informed international organizations and institutions
    The association provided legal support

The journalist of the Radar weekly, Vuk Cvijić, was roughly physically pushed away and attacked by members of the Gendarmerie, during the evening of April 2, 2025. year, during the intervention against the students of the Faculty of Law in Belgrade, when the policemen tried to break into the faculty building.

During the student and civil protest, which included blocking the intersection in front of the Faculty of Law, members of the Gendarmerie intervened and moved towards the crowd. At the moment when the students were retreating towards the university, members of the gendarmerie rushed towards the gathered students and citizens. Journalist Vuk Cvijić was standing on the sidelines at that moment and started filming the police intervention with his mobile phone. He repeatedly emphasized that he is a journalist. Despite this, one of the members of the Gendarmerie tried to steal his phone. Cvijić repeated that he was a journalist, but the attempts to seize the phone continued. Soon after, three members of the Gendarmerie approached him and tried to prevent him from continuing the filming. One hit him with a police shield, while the other elbowed him in the chest. Although at that moment he did not manage to immediately show his journalist ID, when he finally took it out, the members of the Gendarmerie did not change their behavior, but continued with their harsh treatment. When they pushed him to the bench, one of the police officers stood in front of Cvijić and stepped on his shoes, preventing him from filming. The incident was recorded on camera, and the footage clearly shows how the journalist Cvijić was attacked, including the physical blows he suffered.

Regarding the reasons for the physical attack, Cvijić said: “I said ‘journalist, journalist,’ but they were bothered by my phone and the fact that I was filming, that was the reason for the attack.”

NUNS filed a criminal complaint against the unknown perpetrators in the Gendarmerie unit for this attack.