We inform the public that we fully stand in solidarity with the demands of students, pupils, and citizens, and that we are suspending all contacts with the regime. We will not participate in any meetings, discussions, negotiations, or agreements with representatives of the regime until the demands of students, pupils, and citizens are met.

We consider it deeply immoral to maintain any contact with representatives of a regime that—rather than taking responsibility for the tragedy in Novi Sad, which, as a state responsibility, claimed 15 lives and severely injured two others—continues to repress demonstrators who are seeking justice.

We consider it deeply immoral to maintain any contact with a regime that persistently censors the media and orchestrates campaigns of persecution and direct death threats against independent journalists.

We do not want to serve as a façade for either the regime or certain European Union officials, who hypocritically pretend that Serbia is on the path to EU membership. We advocate for European values, fully convinced that the same democratic and civilizational standards that apply to all EU citizens must also apply to the citizens of Serbia. Among these values, freedom of speech and the media occupy one of the most important places.

We demand the resignation of the Minister of Information, Dejan Ristić, due to his latest shameless attack on the Coalition for Media Freedom, following our call for European journalists to come and report on the struggle of the citizens of Serbia for their freedoms. This is just one of the actions by the current minister, who is attempting to marginalize relevant journalistic and media associations while promoting GONGO associations and regime-controlled trade unions as extensions of the current regime’s influence over the media.

We call on other journalistic associations, media organizations, journalists, and media workers to join us.

Novi Sad/Belgrade, December 21, 2024