Three freedoms under the magnifying glass

Review of violations of freedom of association, assembly and expression in Serbia

from March to July 2019

Association. Assembly. Expression.

These three freedoms must be guaranteed to all. These three freedoms form the basis of civil society. No

country can call itself democratic without guaranteeing these rights.

These freedoms are guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Serbia. Practice,

however, shows the opposite. We are witnessing more and more frequent attacks on associations,

activists and the free media. The space in which they operate is increasingly narrowed as the number of

attacks, threats, intimidation and insults increases.

We believe that regularly collecting and publishing cases of violation of these rights can help to raise the

visibility of this trend that is growing rapidly and draw attention to the seriousness of the problems we

face.

Here is an overview of key violations of freedom of assembly, association and expression in Serbia since

March this year, when Serbia was placed on the CIVICUS Monitor Watch List as a country where these

freedoms are seriously threatened.

We will continue to publish these overviews in the future, which show instances of violations of the

freedoms of association, assembly and expression.

In addition, representatives of 20 civil society organisations signed in Belgrade the Three Freedoms

Platform for the Protection of Civic Space in the Republic of Serbia, in order to protect and promote the

freedom of association, assembly and information.The Platform is intended to act as a joint block of civil

society organizations (associations, professional organizations, foundations, endowments, and other

forms of associations including informal groups of citizens) to stand for the protection of endangered

freedoms and create conditions for unhindered participation of citizens in public affairs through civil

society development.

We are aware that the fight to preserve these rights is a long and difficult one. We are aware that these

overviews will not force those who violate the rights to cease or cause an adequate response from the

international community. These representations are a support to civil society, and for media, decision-

makers and citizens they present a reliable and up-to-date account of the reality of civic space in Serbia.

Regular monitoring allows for stronger and more coordinated action by all actors to protect these three

freedoms and impede the work of those who wish to suppress them.

* Civic Initiatives as a partner of CIVICUS Monitor for Serbia send bi-weekly reports in English since August 2018.

Learn more about the CIVICUS Monitor here.

* ENGLISH SOURCES WERE PROVIDED WHERE POSSIBLE

Freedom of association

March 10 – 18, 2019

1. Milan Blagojevic, one of the organizers of the "1 in 5 million" civic protests in Zitoradja, was attacked

and beaten. He accused the Mayor Ivan Stanojevic for this violence, in whose office Blagojevic was when

five men entered the room and started kicking him in the head. The mayor dismissed the allegations,

saying he was the one who got the beating. Multiple head injuries were reported in Blagojevic's medical

report. Milan Blagojevic and two other protest organizers, who were interviewed by the police together,

were detained for 48 hours.

2. Organizers of the protest "1 of 5 million" in Negotin, announced that Strahinja Ciric, also one of the

organizers, was attacked and beaten in front of the building where he lives, where he suffered serious

physical injuries. In the week prior to this attack, Ćirić spoke at the protest about Zoran Milojevic Zelja as

"the SNS's chief thug", as the master of Negotin, which the protest organizers consider to be the motive

for this attack.

March 18 - April 23, 2019

3. The Director of the Lawyer's Committee for Human Rights - YUCOM received a written message from

the Belgrade Bar Association warning her that she was not entitled to be a director of an NGO because it

was not in line with her function as a lawyer. The legal framework is unclear in this respect, so it can be

interpreted in several ways, which the Belgrade Bar Association is misusing. The Lawyer's Committee for

Human Rights provides free legal assistance, and the Bar is constantly threatening the work of providing

legal assistance, seeking a monopoly on this service.

4. It has been noted that sites registered by unknown entities actively resemble other investigative sites

by name and design. Articles published by websites such as the Istraga and the Patriot contain

information that discredits NGOs. The Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability - CRTA,

which deals with transparency and free elections, has been their latest target. One article states that the

CRTA is influenced by foreign governments and that it is working against Serbia's interests. Also, articles

of the same content can be found on similar websites and show a systematic approach to this smear

campaign.

5. The Association of Public Prosecutors of Serbia (UTS) is facing pressures aimed at discrediting the

efforts of this association which is working on preservation of the autonomy and independence of public

prosecutors in the judicial system in the process of amending the Constitution. Pro-regime tabloids are

publishing numerous articles on the participation of individual UTS members in the work of the State

Prosecutorial Council, describing them as traitors and mafia members. A much more serious attack on

UTS is the formation of a new professional association, the Association of Judges and Prosecutors by

existing professional associations, as well as representatives of the civil sector, which is characterized as

GONGO.

April 23 - May 7, 2019

6. Following the appearance of Sonja Stojanovic Gajic, director of the Belgrade Center for Security Policy,

on a television show stating that the announcement of the hunger strike by Defense Minister Aleksandr

Vulin is just another reality show, aimed at distracting citizens from thinking about current issues, a

GONGO called National Avant-garde published a video criticizing the work of the BCSP, and its director

personally. The BCSP has been targeted lately because of their reports in which they are describing

Serbia as a captured state and also calling for introduction of the Pribe mechanism in Serbia as an aid in

fighting the capture state. The captured state implies a state of widespread corruption, which allows

public resources to be used for private purposes, while control mechanisms are neutralized, either by

legal or illegal channels. This situation extends to sectors covered, to a varying extent, in certain

negotiating chapters, but also to the political criteria whose fulfillment is more difficult to follow.

European Commission ordered independent expert report about the state of rule of law in Macedonia.

BCSP stated that if the EC would send experts to Serbia to make a similar report it would make a

difference in the rule of law in Serbia. After those claims, GONGOs and pro-government media started

targeting BCSP even more.

7. On the other hand, GONGOs close to the security sector are working to promote nationalist and right-

wing groups. The Center for Security, Investigation and Defense recently suggested that it would be wise

to establish civilian patrols to combat juvenile delinquency and drug traffickers who use children to

smuggle narcotics. The role of this association is to promote the security sector and to magnify its

closedness and lack of transparency under the veil of patriotism. The founders of this association are

suspicious individuals with a criminal background.

8. Another right-wing organization has launched an online petition to introduce a new law on non-

governmental organizations in Serbia, similar to the one in Russia, to control foreign funds. Civic

initiatives have publicly asked the Change.org online platform to remove the petition because it violates

international law, domestic laws and promotes hate speech.

9. A meeting of the Working Group for Amendments to the Criminal Code was held in order to review

the sanctions for the most serious crimes. It was announced that the unique position of the working

group is that the court should be able to impose a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Civil

society distanced itself from this position and announced that the article which says "without the

possibility of conditional release" was not considered in the working group. The change of the Criminal

Code appeared as a populist move by the authorities after several years of petitioning of the father of a

murdered girl to impose life sentences to the killers of children.

May 7 - June 4, 2019

10. The reactions of representatives of the GONGO organization Transparency - Council for Monitoring,

Human Rights and the Fight against Corruption on the European Commission’s report about Serbia's EU

progress were published in the tabloid Informer. They say the report was written by political opponents

of Aleksandar Vucic, Serbian Progressive Party and members of the coalition gathered around the

parliamentary majority, which is a blow to the credibility of EU institution. The GONGO organization

National Avant-garde continued with its activities and released a new video against liberal civil society,

that reflects warnings from independent civil society organizations that warn of the growing trend of the

emergence of new GONGO organizations in Serbia. These events indicate the increased activity of

GONGO organizations in Serbia

11. Youth of the Democratic Party of Serbia, the opposition right wing parliamentary party, held a

performance the day before the Miredita, dobar dan! festival and sought its ban. They also asked the

Serbian authorities to ban the work of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, which is the organizer of

the festival.

12. The Government of the Republic of Serbia held a meeting with non-governmental organizations on

amendments to the Law on Financial Support to Families with Children, to which the association “Moms

are the Law” was not originally called, which was most critical of the law. Instead, organizations that

have never dealt with this law were invited. It was only after this association intervened on social media

that they received a call for a meeting, a day earlier, which raises suspicion that the government only

attempted to simulate dialogue.

June 4 - July 22, 2019

13. Smear campaigns against civil society organizations which are critical towards the government are

continuing. In the article titled “How foreign money is used to brainwash our youth” Slobodan Antonic (a

right-wing publicist previously known for articles with similar content) wrote that Civic Initiatives, an

independent civil society organization from Serbia, "have spent a lot of money to brainwash the youth,

but had not done anything concrete”. He has published all of their financial reports that are otherwise

publicly available on their web- site, claiming that the funds they received were spent in vain and with no

tangible results. This article has initiated a Twitter campaign where a large number of false accounts

wrote derogatory and abusive comments about the employees of Civic Initiatives.

14. Portal Istraga published an article entitled "These People Work to Conceal Crimes Against Serbs" in

which they attack Director of Civic Initiatives Maja Stojanovic, Director of the Youth Initiative for Human

Rights, Ivan Djuric and the lawyer of the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights - Yucom, Milena Vasic.The

article states that these people “have made a plan of action against Serbia and its interests”. Istraga also

falsely claims that the funds Civic Initiatives received in the past two years “have been used to finance

their actions, such as the cover-up of crimes against Serbs in 2004”. The article has had a great reach on

social networks. In reality, this meeting was organized as part of the "Miredita, dobar dan" festival,

dedicated to bridging the gap between Serbian and Kosovo public through art and culture. Civil society

organizations from Serbia, the signatories of the Three Freedoms Platform, gathered to present the most

drastic cases of narrowing the freedom of assembly, expression and association of organizations from

Serbia dealing with the topic of Kosovo.

15. At the Seventh Plenary Session of the National Convention on the European Union (a platform with

over 700 civil society organizations whose opinion the Government has pledged to respect in the

European integration process), Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke about Chapter 35 (Chapter

relating to Kosovo in the negotiation process) and the relation between Belgrade and Prishtina. The

President's address to NCEU, which should cooperate with the government shows that the principle of

the division of power in Serbia does not work. Talking to representatives of civil society, government

officials made unacceptable comments in order to destroy the credibility of present civil society

representatives.

16. A young journalist from the pro-government TV Pink, host of the show whose concept should

resemble a satirical political show, and which in reality displays blatant support to the ruling party,

founded his own youth organization. Given that the organization's goal is to show youth support for

President Vucic's policies, it is clear that this is another GONGO organization. This organization has

signed a memorandum of cooperation with two other well-known GONGO organizations, creating the

pro-government "youth umbrella organization" that supports Aleksandar Vucic and "wants to prevent

brain drain". National Youth Council of Serbia already exists and has been recognized in the institutional

framework and youth policies.

17. The GONGO organization National Avant-Garde has continued its campaign against the independent

Belgrade Center for Security Policy by publishing another video in which they attack the work of this

organization, manipulating facts and denying claims of independent civil society organizations that

Serbia is a captured state. They are trying to relativize the term GONGO in the video and explain that

they are not such an organization.

18. The Association of Judges and Prosecutors, a known GONGO organization stated the Law on

Financing of NGOs is necessary for Serbia. “What is particularly symptomatic within the judicial system of

the Republic of Serbia is that a circle of NGOs has been created, that is, a very small number of non-

governmental organizations that have almost a monopoly on all projects implemented in the judiciary of

the Republic of Serbia, even though many of these NGOs are by their structure, such that they do not

actually have individuals who are in any way more deeply involved in the work of the justice system, that

is, the placement of some ideas coming from the non-governmental sector, clearly indicate that they do

not actually have any experience in the way the judiciary works, ”their statement said.

Freedom of assembly

March 10 – 18, 2019

19. Thousands of protesters in Serbia gathered for the 15th week in a row to protest against President

Aleksandar Vucic. Up until the last gathering, all the protests were peaceful. The demonstrations

escalated on March 18, when protesters stormed the Serbian Radio and Television (RTS) led by

opposition leader Bosko Obradovic. They asked the editor-in-chief to allow them to address the public

live. The editorial team denied the request, and police started pushing and draging out the protesters.

Meanwhile, the RTS director addressed the public, saying the protest had lost its legitimacy by entering

the building. Police said all protesters who entered the building will be prosecuted.

20. Opposition leaders announced another gathering at noon ahead of the Presidency during the

presidential press conference on the events of the previous night. The protesters gathered again and

formed a human chain around the Presidency, thereby preventing the President from coming out. After

the protests began, some protesters were arrested and police unnecessarily used force. A tear gas was

thrown at the protesters. Preventing riots and protecting people and property is a primary task of the

police in securing public gatherings. Improper assessment of security risk and lack of timely response

have contributed to the escalation of violence. Accordingly, the subsequent use of force by the police,

recorded and posted by the attendees, can be considered disproportionate. Also, some of the

Protestants were arrested and detained. Opposition leaders, lawyers and parents of arrested protesters

negotiated in front of Belgrade's main police station to release them. One of the protesters was given a

30-day prison sentence for entering the RTS building, while the other was fined 20,000 dinars for

assaulting a police officer. Leaders of the Alliance for Serbia and the organizers of the 1 in 5 Million

protests said at a media conference on Monday that the young people arrested during the protests in

Belgrade must be released. Students of the Languages High School in Belgrade staged a protest over the

arrest of their schoolmate accused of participating in protests and incidents at the Serbian state TV

(RTS).

March 18- April 23, 2019

21. The rally named “All as one – 1 in 5 million” was announced a month ago after the organizers of a

four-month-long anti-regime demonstration and Serbia’s opposition gave Vucic and the government a

month to withdraw or face a major protest. Opposition leaders said the protest was successful, while

government announced a small turn out. The protest was organized without any incident.

April 23 - May 7, 2019

22. Citizens of Zrenjanin gathered for a protest over water that has been unsuitable for drinking and all

kinds of use in the city for 15 years. The newly built water purifier in Zrenjanin has stopped working. The

investor stated that the tube was disconnected due to the impurities that appeared on the filters. Since

then, the city has been supplied with water, as before, from springs. That is why the people of Zrenjanin

gathered for a protest under the slogan "Just Water"!

23. A group of right-wingers gathered, on 5th May, in front of "Roma" bakery in Borca, Belgrade,

demanding its closure because a former bakery employee was photographed, two years ago, gesturing

the Albanian national symbol - the two-headed eagle. Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said police

kept the peace during a gathering of citizens outside a bakery in Borca. Human rights activists and most

opposition parties in Serbia condemned the attack on the bakery in Belgrade, while right-wing MP Srdjan

Nogo not only attended the attack but also defended its legitimacy. Human rights activists, neighbors

and the opposition organized a rally to support the bakery owner, which once again provoked right-

wingers to protest. They walked around Borca singing nationalist songs and spreading hate speech

against the Albanian minority, two days after the gathering. Police did not prohibit this nationalistic rally,

indicating that such behavior was permissible. This event can also be viewed from the perspective of

freedom of expression, as the public condemned the display of the Albanian national symbol - the two-

headed eagle. The worker should not be fired for this act, and his freedom to show any gesture that is

not prohibited by law should be guaranteed.

24. After the latest protest of "1 in 5 million", opposition leaders have set up a "Free Zone" in front of the

Presidency building. Opposition leaders said the Free zone was formed because the government

continues to ignore the demands of people who have been protesting for nearly five months. Their

requirements are: the formation of a joint commission of government and opposition to define fair

electoral conditions, the election of a new composition of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media

(REM) and the selection of the technical and editorial team of Radio Television of Serbia and Radio

Television of Vojvodina.

25. Radical leader Vojislav Seselj, a convicted war criminal, organized a congress of the Serbian Radical

Party in Hrtkovci on May 4th. This place is known for the deportation of Vojvodina Croats in the early

1990s. Although there were requests to ban this gathering, Seselj still decided to organize it. Last year,

the Congress in Hrtkovci was banned by the Ministry of Interior, and Seselj was banned from visiting

Hrtkovci. Organizing this year's rally shows the Government's unwillingness to prevent inter-ethnic

tensions.

May 7 - June 4, 2019

26. From May 29 to June 1, the "Mirëdita, dobar dan!" festival was held, presenting the cultural and

social scene of Prishtina to the Belgrade audience. In addition to performances by artists and performers,

representatives of the contemporary Kosovo cultural scene were also present. The festival was organized

by the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Civic Initiatives from Belgrade and Integra from Prishtina. The

aim of the festival is to initiate changes in the Serbian and Kosovo social and cultural communities and to

create a tradition of cooperation that will contribute to the lasting normalization of relations between

Belgrade and Prishtina. The trend of attacks on festival participants and supporters is increasing every

year, and this year it has been noticed that the security services were practicing "over policing". The

participants and guests of the festival were completely isolated and it was not possible to enter the

festival as a group of right-wingers was separated from the participants by a police cordon. Extremist

groups sang "patriotic" songs and insulted those present. A lit torch was thrown in the space where the

event was organized. Right-wingers gathered several times during the festival, making riots. This year,

for the first time, hooligans also protested. They clashed with police, but police managed to prevent

them from entering the premises of the festival.

June 4 - July 5, 2019

27. A protest against fascism was held in Nis. A peaceful walk was accompanied by a group of young men

who shouted fascist greetings. The crowd went on a protest walk from a place where a young boy was

stabbed seven days earlier simply because he wore a T-shirt with an anti-fascist print. It is particularly

worrying that it was a group of young people, and none of the competent state authorities have spoken

about this issue. The attackers have not yet been found which clearly indicates the inconsistent actions

of the government towards the rise of right-wing trends.

28. Similar case has been noticed in Novi Sad where two young men, students and activists of the joint

action "Roof over head” were attacked and brutally beaten up. They took part in a protest against tree

felling in a nearby park earlier that day. Their attackers were noticed hanging posters of the "Serbian

Right" (an extreme right-wing nationalist organization).

29. Just a day later, another young man was beaten in Novi Sad. This time it was a member of the

Democratic Party's youth and one of the organizers of the protest "1 of 5 million". Both attacks occurred

on the University campus.

30. Aktivista inicijative „Ne davimo Beograd“ Radomir Lazović pozvan je na odsluženje zatvorske kazne

zbog organizacije jednog od protesta povodom rušenja objekata u Hercegovačkoj ulici u beogradskom

kvartu Savamala, saopštila je ta organizacija. „Ovo je jedan od preko 30 procesa koji se vode ili su vođeni

protiv naših aktivista još od 2016. godine i početka masovnih protesta. Umesto da se na sudu nađu

nalogodavci i organizatori rušenja objekata, zataškavanja zločina i hajke na aktiviste koja traje i danas,

sudi se nama koji smo na kršenje zakona ukazali“, navelo je to udruženje.

Activist of the "Don't let Belgrade d(r)own" initiative Radomir Lazovic has been called to serve a prison

sentence for organizing one of the protests over the demolition of buildings in Hercegovacka street in

the Belgrade neighborhood of Savamala in 2016. "This is one of over 30 processes that have been or are

being led against our activists since 2016 and the beginning of the mass protests. Instead of finding the

orderers and organizers of the demolition of facilities, covering up crimes and harassment of activists

that continue to exist today, we are being judged by those who have committed a violation of the law,

"stated the representative of Don't let Belgrade d(r)own.

July 5 - 12, 2019

31. To commemorate the anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, the Youth Initiative for Human Rights

(YIHR) organized the event of the remembrance in front of Presidency building by lighting candles. A

counter protest on the other side of the park was organized by radical party leader with message of

denial of the Srebrenica genocide Right-wing activists shouted and showed a basic disrespect for the

human life and dignity of victims of genocide.

32. At the Kolarac Endowment building in Belgrade, about 20 people wearing shirts with nationalist

symbols interrupted on Thursday a performance named “Srebrenica. When we, the killed rise”, which

was organized by the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights. Right wing activist began yelling that the

genocide did not take place in Srebrenica and that Ratko Mladic, one of the masterminds of the 1995

genocide, was a hero. After that, they started singing nationalist songs. According to the organizers, the

right-wingers were in the hall for half an hour and threatened to throw a smoke bomb, while police were

in the hall and did not respond. Actors, organizers and then the audience started pushing them out.

Eventually, the police escorted the group out, but the question is how they got in, given that the event

was secured by the police.

Just a year ago, eight activists of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights were sentenced to fines because

they allegedly violated the 2017 law on public gatherings. They were convicted because, in 2016, at a

panel in Beska, where the convicted war criminal Veselin Sljivančanin spoke, they unfurled a banner

with a message "War criminals should be silent so that victims could be heard” The activists were then

beaten and thrown out of the hall, and at yesterday's event the police said they cannot engage because

it was an open event and that their hands were tied.

33. The activist of the political movement “Do not let Belgrade d(r)own” Radomir Lazovic got the call to

serve his prison sentence for violating the Law on Assembly in May 2016, after he organized a protest

against the demolition of buildings in Savamala by unknown perpetrators, but with support of police and

city government. Activists of this movement are exposed to smear campaign in the media, pressures on

social networks, and pressures on the street. All activist of this movement suffer as a result of an

orchestrated campaign that can be linked with the Serbian Progressive Party. Vladimir Djukanovic and

Marijan Rističević showed their pictures in the live program and in the Assembly. In the media they were

accused of plotting to kill the president and the activists of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights were at

the front covers of the Informer 40 times, where they were targeted as traitors of Serbia.

July 12-22, 2019

34. Students gathered around the "1 in 5 million" initiative gathered in front of the Rectorate of the

University of Belgrade and held a protest demanding that Ministers Sinisa Mali and Nebojsa Stefanovic

be dismissed, amid serious evidence that they had dishonestly achieved their academic achievements.

The students submitted their requests to the Rectorate Administration, claiming that the University had

lost its integrity and that the reputation of the academic community was seriously damaged.The

reputation and credibility of higher education in Serbia have been completely eroded in recent months.

Despite the obvious evidence that the doctoral dissertation of the former Mayor of Belgrade and the

current Minister of Finance, Sinisa Mali, is plagiarized, the Expert Commission of the University of

Belgrade has assessed that there are insufficient grounds for challenging the doctorate. Following the

appeals of this decision, the Professional Ethics Committee of the University of Belgrade on the Ph.D.

case declared itself unable to reach a final decision because the opinion of the Expert Committee was

incomplete, unclear and contradictory, after which the matter was referred back to the Faculty of

Organizational Sciences which previously determined that the dissertation was not plagiarized.

Obviously, there is strong political pressure not to challenge Minister Siniša Mali, despite clear evidence,

which is a serious violation of the law and professional ethics by all those involved in making this

decision. Also, evidence has recently emerged that the Minister of Interior, Nebojsa Stefanovic, illegally

obtained his Bachelor of Science degree, thus questioning the validity of his PhD, but the Ministry of

Education declared that demand for the Minister's diploma to be examined was unfounded. For all those

who have achieved their academic achievements in an honorable and legal way, this behavior of

competent institutions and professional bodies is a great insult.

35. Srdjan Nonic, head of the opposition council group "Nis Initiative", began protests, which will be held

daily in front of more than 50 companies and institutions in Nis. The first protest was held in front of the

City Administration, where he greeted and welcomed employees at half past eight in the morning with

the message "that they must act in the interest of the citizens, not for Vucic." Nonic claims that during

the protest, an unknown young man threw "some yellow liquid" at him, after which he called police, who

remained at the scene until the end of the protest. The Niš Initiative has for a long time pointed to the

inefficiency, corruption and nepotism that are happening in urban institutions. They are trying to draw

the public's attention to the fact that it is the citizens who pay the politicians and officials to act in their

interest and not in the interest of the ruling party.

36. The Human Rights House hosted a media conference called "Rakita - The Breakdown of the Rule of

Law" of the Defend the Rivers of Stara Planina movement. The aim of the conference was to appeal to

the media and relevant institutions to stop the breach of the law and the destruction of natural

resources through the construction of mini hydropower plants. At the very beginning of the conference,

a group of thugs in T-shirts with the sign "Civil Guard" and posters with false claims about the about the

members of the Defend the Rivers of Stara Planina Rivers movement (ORSP). This provocation was

intended to discredit the work of the ORSP movement and to put the story of MHP aside. Obviously, this

is another GONGO organization trying to strike at the honor and reputation of ORSP activists and to

discredit the work of this movement, which is largely responsible for bringing this topic to the spotlight.

Team of the pro-regime tabloid Informer gave support to these thugs, by appearing in front of the

Human Rights House, demanding to be let in, although they were told before that they can not attend

the conference because of their practice of violating the journalistic code and previous disruption of the

similar event. Despite provocations and attempts by the abusers to interfere with reporting the public,

the conference was successfully concluded, without the assistance and support from the expected police

authorities.

37. During the three days of the panel, the Zone of New Optimism in Sabac, a group of young men tried

to disrupt it. On the first day before the start of the event, the assembled young men shouted and

insulted the participants of the panel, but there were no major incidents. The start of the panel was half

an hour late. The same case was repeated for the next two days. Although Sabac television, co-organizer

of the five-day event, sent a letter to the Sabac Police Department asking why they were not responding

and how is it possible that an unreported rally could interfere with the event for the third day, they have

not received the answer yet.

Freedom of expression

March 10 – 18, 2019

38. The Youth Initiative for Human Rights is often the target of attacks by right-wingers and nationalists.

The last case concerns vandalism, where the corridor of the building where the YIHR office is located was

sprayed on with the inscriptions "Ratko Mladic" and "No division" (referencing Kosovo), after the Youth

Initiative recently deleted similar graffiti (including “Kosovo is Serbia”) from a public building in Belgrade.

The door of the office was also vandalized with the stickers of eight famous women from Serbian history,

saying "these women are our pride, you cannot be even their shadow" . YIHR claims that such graffiti

come from the same nationalist and misogynist place, and that human rights activists are always the first

ones under attack of such rhetoric.

38. The activist Ksenija Radovanović from the initiative Don't let Belgrade d(r)own was physically

attacked at the BeFem festival where she received an award for her contribution to feminism in 2018,

when one of guests insulted and then struck her. Police have arrested the suspect P.V. and he was

detained for 48 hours.

39. The N1 TV director, Jugoslav Ćosić, received a phone call from a person who introduced himself as an

official of the US government’s Homeland Security Department, but called from a local number.

According to the N1 director, the call was related to the reporting of N1 about the terrorist attack in New

Zealand where 49 people were killed, suggesting that the N1 reports could lead to the conclusion that N1

has proof that the attack in New Zealand is linked to a “terrorist base” in Serbia. The caller threatened

the director that if he does not provide him with the evidence within two hours, he will be banned to

enter the US.

40. Two people who set the journalist Milan Jovanović’s house on fire were arrested. The Mayor of

Grocka, Dragoljub Simonovic, was arrested on suspicion that he had ordered the burning of the house of

journalist of the Žig Info news portal following his reporting on corruption in the municipality. As

Simonovic admitted to committing the crime, the prosecutor asked for a maximum prison sentence of 8

years.

41. The media coverage of the night when the protesters entered the building of Radio-Television Serbia

sparked a series of reactions by politicians. Representatives of the Serbian government described the N1

special television program as scandalous and hypocritical. After appearing in political debates, a pro-

government expert accused N1 of biased reporting. At that point, the only TV station that reported from

RTS was N1.

March 18 - April 23, 2019

42. April was marked by attacks on journalist and media workers of independent and investigative

networks. Also, Reporters Without Borders, a global media watchdog, announced that Serbia had

dropped 14 places on the 2019 World Press Freedom Index and now ranks 90th on the list of 180

countries.

43. During this period, the Programme Director of N1 Serbia Jugoslav Ćosić and other journalists were

often portrayed as foreign mercenaries, "anti-Serbs", "traitors" and "CIA media". OSCE Representative

on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir expressed concern about the growing threat to journalists in

Serbia. A number of Serbian journalists expressed dissatisfaction and fear with attitudes towards them

and their work, following several attempts to label them as traitors and mercenaries, intimidate and

threaten them. The investigative journalist Slobodan Georgiev and BIRN investigative portal editor said

prosecutors are not willing to act on charges filed by journalists from media which are not close to the

authorities. All this happened after BIRN published a photo stating that President Andrej Vucic's brother

had ties to Serbian businessman Zvonko Veselinovic despite earlier denials. Tamara Skrozza, Vreme

journalist, was also exposed to smear campaign in Politika daily in article written by the Prime Minister.

44. "You are not an independent journalist if you go to a protest where a political message is sent," said

Suzana Vasiljevic, media advisor to President Aleksandar Vucic, on Television Prva. She has also made a

list of media that she claims to be free to work and criticize the government in Serbia.

45. Speculations about the testimony of Rada Trajkovic (director of the European Movement of Serbs

from Kosovo) in the murder of Oliver Ivanovic (a Kosovo politician), presented in the Informer and Alo

tabloids, as well as in statements by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and other officials, represents

dangerous behavior that threatens her security. In addition, such writing is an example of the attack on

Rade Trajkovic's personality and her integrity.

46. The New City Hotel in Nis has canceled a debate organized by the Institute for European Affairs on

freedom of expression. The debate was scheduled for Monday night, and organizers were informed the

night before that they would not be able to use the space because the hall was flooded due to pipe

bursting.

April 23 - May 7, 2019

47. Following a six-year trial, the Belgrade Court of Appeals upheld the ruling of the High Court in

Belgrade in the case of the Lawyer's Committee for Human Rights against Kurir (pro-government

tabloid), which was legally labeled as urgent, and found the responsibility of the "Kurir info" editor for

hate speech against the Albanian national minority .The problem is that even after 6 years, the court did

not find the editor guilty of inciting hate speech, but for not preventing the publication of comments that

increase tensions among citizens, thus placing the national minority at a disadvantage.

48. Following a meeting in Berlin on Serbia-Kosovo relations, Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin spoke of

the Albanians from Kosovo in a derogatory way, calling them "Shqiptars". The chairman of the Albanian

National Minority Council, Ragmi Mustafa, has announced that he is considering suing Vulin for using "an

offensive term, Shqiptar, which belittles Albanians and designates them as second-class citizens." Vulin

said the announcement of the lawsuit against him was "a compliment to his previous consistency and

fight for the truth." The government did not condemn the move, which shows that hate speech is

allowed and supported.

49. Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia, Independent Association of Journalists of Vojvodina

and Branch Union of Culture, Arts and Media "Independence"; stated on World Media Freedom Day that

the government in Serbia was stifling critical reporting, while the independence of media editorial policy

was being undermined by various, especially financial pressures. The authorities are most responsible,

according to them, for misuse of public money, intimidation, defamation and disparaging of journalists

and media. On the other hand, State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture and Information Aleksandar

Gajovic said: “If you say that the media is not free, then the media is trapped. Who captured the media?

Who keeps them trapped? Privatization of the media in Serbia was completed on December 31, 2016. All

media are completely free. "

50. The owner and director of Novi Sad TV Channel 9 Maja Pavlovic is hunger striking since April 15th

because of the numerous problems that this local television encounters. Her demands are related to the

state decisions and economic pressure which put the independent Channel 9 in an unequal position,

compared to media close to the authorities. The prime minister scheduled seeing her on 22nd day of her

strike, after her health was seriously endangered. Representative of REM (Authority for Electronic

Media) Olivera Zekic was unprofessional at the meeting, blaming the journalist for all the problems her

television was facing. The Prime Minister stated that the Government is not competent to deal with her

problems, and that she should leave it to judiciary system to decide about this case. Following the oral

promise that the government will do everything in their power to help her, she stopped the hunger

strike.

51. The National Convention on the European Union (NKEU), the Working Group for the Negotiating

Chapter 35 of NKEU and the Intersectoral group on Freedom of Expression and Media of NKEU expressed

concern over the statement by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during a visit to Beijing in which he

labeled the independent media in Kosovo and Metohia, which report in Serbian, as foreign agents.

May 7 - June 4, 2019

52. Freedom House published their latest report about Freedom of expression in the World. In the part

regarding Europe they focused on Serbia’s and Hungary’s undemocratic practices. They emphasized that

situation is worrying: “Over the past few years, a new toolbox has emerged that illiberal leaders in fragile

democracies deploy to control and co-opt the press, with the aim of ensuring their stay in power. This

toolbox leaves out tactics like censorship, force, or outright intimidation of journalists. Instead, it

contains a collection of methods used to harness structural conditions. Once successful co-optation has

taken place, media are incorporated into the system as building blocks that prop up those in power. The

illiberal toolbox for co-opting the media contains a variety of legal, extralegal, and economic strategies

for applying pressure to critical outlets, and supporting friendly ones.”

The representative of the Parliament of the Republic of Serbia, Vladimir Djukanovic, wrote on Twitter

that this report is a sign that Serbia is going in the right direction.

53. Online portal ISTRAGA has published a list of "Journalists Who Disgraced Serbia" because they made

the film "Albanian women are our sisters" - the film was screened at the festival Mirëdita, dobar dan!,

and it deals with cases of raping of Albanian women in Kosovo by Serb soldiers during the war. The

authors of the published text have not been signed. They published information about journalists, with

their pictures and their workplaces. The non-governmental organizations they work for are listed and it is

written how much money they received without specifying the source of information.

54. This portal also published a text about last year's winner of the Mirëdita dobar dan" Award - Borka

Pavićević, director of the Center for Cultural Decontamination. "There are dozens of organizations in

Belgrade today that are working against Serbia's interests in every possible way. Whether it is promoting

an independent Kosovo, Albanian terrorists or alleged genocide in Srebrenica, this organization and its

members often do not choose the means to act against their country" The article explains how Pavićević

works against Serbian interests.

55. Bearing in mind that Mirëdita was held at the time when President Vucic addressed the public from

Serbian Parliament and said that he would protect the Serb people if there was a need in the north

Kosovo, the front pages of the tabloids were full of hate speech towards the Albanians.

56. The Serbian Parliament, without the presence of a part of the opposition that boycotted the sessions,

adopted controversial amendments to the Criminal Code. There was also no public consultation and no

experts in the field were consulted. During the parliamentary debate, MPs of the ruling majority attacked

Judge Miodrag Majic, who criticized the amendments to the Criminal Code, and according to the

representatives of the legal profession and the opposition, these attacks are a new phase in relation to

political authorities towards the judiciary and this practice undermines the country's legal order. The

High Judical Council as the highest legal body condemned the attacks on Judge Majic.

57. The Annual Report of the European Commission on the Republic of Serbia, in which Serbia is marked

as a country in which freedom of speech is narrowed, representatives of the government described as

political assessments. It is said in this report that Serbia has not made any progress in the area of

freedom of expression and that lack of progress in this area is a cause for serious concern. There are

concerns about cases of threats, intimidation and violence against journalists, non-transparency of

ownership and media financing.

58. While the Prime Minister claims that significant changes have taken place on the freedom of

information, the press expresses dissatisfaction: "Journalists and media associations say that the

amendments on the Draft Media Strategy are absolutely unacceptable, as well as the way in which they

are included in the working document."

59. The Independent Journalists Association of Serbia (NUNS) condemned the pro-government tabloid

Informer for another attack on TV N1. “NUNS condemns the new attack of Informer on N1 TV as another

manifestation of shamelessness and unprofessional behavior by the tabloid which is there only for the

propaganda of the ruling nomenclature,” a statement said.

June 4 - July 5, 2019

60. Due to the failure of the state authorities of Serbia in relation to criminal charges for persecution and

threats on social networks directed to activist and journalist of BIRN, Sofia Todorovic, the European

Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ordered the Government of Serbia to submit all documents related to

the case.

In April, Sofia Todorovic intervened on behalf of and defended the owner of the bakery "Roma" Mon

Djuraj (he was exposed to attacks by right-wing organizations after the appearance of his brother's

picture showing the Albanian national symbol). After this she herself became a victim of persecution,

threats and attacks through social networks, which continue to this day. No state authority responded to

any of the requests that Sofia’s lawyer requested. For this reason he reached out to ECHR.

This decision of the ECHR is of great importance to all human rights defenders in Serbia, who are being

attacked by nationalist and "patriotic" groups for years, which Serbian authorities did not sanction. It is

important to emphasize that in 98% of the cases, the ECHR rejects such requests. Attacks on activists and

journalists continue in all parts of Serbia without an adequate response from the authorities or the

reactions of the highest state officials.

61. An activist and a journalist from Aleksinac, Dusan Ostojic, announced that he was withdrawing from

activism and journalism after his car was burned at the end of May. The suspect was detained, and it was

discovered that Ostojic was attacked because of the texts that were published on an online portal he

manages.

62. In mid-June, the Indjija Cafe journalist, was attacked, tracked and intimidated in the street where she

lives and at work. She also went through persecution on social networks. She says she knows the identity

of the attacker who is close to the local authorities, but the police have said they do not have enough

evidence to initiate the proceedings. This intimidation lasts for over two weeks, and the attackers are

also trying to hack the site of the online portal where she works. On the occasion of the attack on Verica

Maricic, Reporters Without Borders called on the authorities in Serbia, through Twitter, to protect the

journalist of the Indjija cafe.

63. A young man was stabbed in Nis because he was wearing a shirt with anti-fascist motives on.A group

of young men attacked him, asking him to take off his shirt, and when the young man refused, he was

stabbed with a knife in his back. The police classified this attack, in which it is obvious that the young

man was attacked because of his t-shirt, as a fight.

64. Authors and broadcasters of the "Good, bad, evil" show at Sabac Television Marko Vidojkovic and

Nenad Kulacin received death threats in the comment section of their YouTube video. Vidojkovic and

Kulacin did not report these threats to the police, but the Independent Journalists Association of Serbia

(NUNS) contacted the authorities instead. Threats to journalists on social networks are a regular

occurrence, but it's worrying that almost none of these cases have a court epilogue.

July 5 - 12, 2019.

65. In parliamentary debate, Aleksandar Martinovic, head of the SNS parliamentary group, said that

journalists, as well as non-governmental organizations, asked security-sensitive questions using the Law

on Free Access to Information of Public Importance, and accused them of being "tendentious inquiries

intended to overthrow the security system of the Republic of Serbia." He also accused former

Commissioner of Information of Public Importance Rodoljub Sabic of working for foreign security

agencies and the opposition of Serbia and against the Serbian Progressive Party and Serbia. Martinovic

also said that "the citizens of Serbia should know that they are primarily talking about those who were

mainly looking for (information of public importance), security-sensitive information, such as CINS, KRIK,

BIRN, BIRODI, Natasa Kandic, Nemanja Nenadic ( Director of Transparency Serbia) and so on. " In this

way, Martinovic accused the independent civil society organizations BIRODI, Transparency Serbia, CRTA

and the Humanitarian Law Center and the editorial boards of the independent media: CINS, BIRN,

Istinomer, N1, Vreme weekly, who substantiate their research and analysis with facts, for "destroying the

security system of the Republic of Serbia."

66. Just two days earlier, the Bureau of Social Research, an independent research organization, had

conducted a survey on voters of the Serbian Progressive Party. "Older and poorer citizens of lower and

secondary education are the most numerous among the voters of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS),"

say the results of a poll conducted by BIRODI. The results did not appeal to the members of the ruling

majority, so they publicly targeted BIRODI and their director in the National Assembly. One of the

deputies, Martinovic, demanded that the prosecution respond to information released by BIRODI that

SNS voters are senior citizens and poorly educated and said it was a "dangerous occurrence" and "had

elements of a crime." This case is the first in the history of opinion polls that a Member of Parliament has

asked the Prosecution to respond to the results of the survey.

July 12 – 24, 2019

67. Vojislav Seselj, leader of the Radical party and convicted war criminal, made threats and insults

against the journalist of Danas Snezana Congradin at one of the sessions of the National Assembly.

Responsible institutions did not respond to such scandalous statements, and the comment of the

Chairman of the Assembly was "thank you Professor". These threats came after Snezana Congradin's

article on commemoration of the victims of the Srebrenica genocide was published in the Danas.

The practice of tolerating such targeting and insulting individuals and organizations in the National

Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, who publicly express opinions and criticisms that are not in

accordance with the views of the ruling party, is unacceptable. Non-response of the Chairman of the

Assembly and state bodies to such abuses of the Rules of Procedure is extremely dangerous because it

allows hate speech to go unpunished. The fact that a convicted war criminal sits in the NA indicates that

the laws do not work. Many civil society organizations, politicians are demanding for years from the

competent institutions to react and to deduct the parliamentary mandate from Vojislav Seselj.

68. Journalist and editor of kolubarske.rs portal Darija Rankovic has been exposed to constant insults for

her work for several years. Because she was not intimidated by these insults, a portal was created that

looks like a copy of hers but with different news in order to mislead readers. She filed a lawsuit against

Zoran Majdak, owner of Radio Valjevo who he believes was behind the attack, two years ago, and since

then five hearings have taken place at which the accused has never appeared. She said that she would

not stop doing what she was doing, even if he physically attacks her.

69. After KRIK (the Crime and Corruption Investigation Network) published the story of a corruption

affair, whose main actor is the brother of Finance Minister Sinisa Mali, Predrag Mali, orchestrated

attacks on KRIK in pro-regime tabloids have begun. Pro-regime tabloids, known for constantly presenting

lies and defamation against anyone who dares to criticize the ruling party reported that KRIK journalists

chased the partner and child of Predrag Mali, what KRIK sharply denied. Police announced the reward for

anyone who knows the person who followed her. According to now common practice, following the

publication of this story by KRIK, no investigations have been conducted by the competent authorities,

nor are there any indications that this will happen any time soon. A journalist for the KRIK investigative

journalism portal said that there are indications that the portal and its staff are being monitored by the

authorities. Journalist Dragana Peco recalled that President Aleksandar Vucic said a month ago that KRIK

would be reporting about Finance Minister Sinisa Mali‘s brother which KRIK has done. “He also spoke

about things we discussed in the office which raises suspicions that they we are being followed,” Peco

said.