16 May Three Freedoms Under the Magnifying Glass: May 3 – May 16, 2024

Posted at 15:08h in News, Three Freedoms Under the Magnifying Glass by

Belgrade, May 16, 2024

Violations of basic freedoms in Serbia

May 3 – May 16, 2024

 

In the previously observed period, violations of basic human rights continued in Serbia.

The announcement of the branch of the Serbian Progressive Party from Novi Sad confirmed that campaigns against critical media and journalists are coming from the ruling party. The official announcement of SNS from Novi Sad targets journalist Dinko Gruhonjić and activists Brajan Brković and Miran Pogačar in a tabloid manner. The text published on the official website of the Serbian Progressive Party is full of chauvinistic insults and the previously seen labeling of critics of the regime as “Serb-haters”.

The threat to media freedom in Serbia was also confirmed by the international organization Reporters Without Borders. Serbia fell by 7 places compared to 2022 according to the Media Freedom Index. In the report for 2023, Serbia took the 98th place, which places it in the fourth zone – the zone of a difficult situation.

This week there was also a clash between the citizens of Zaječar and the security of the local assembly. The citizens entered the hall of the City Assembly building and after pushing with the security, they managed to enter the session where the construction of a quarry in the village of Mali Izvor was discussed. Activists are forced to make such moves due to the government’s practice of excluding the interested public from the decision-making process.

The violence also culminated on the Sava Embankment. Aleksandar Šapić, known for his inappropriate vocabulary and communication with the media, went a step further when meeting dissatisfied citizens. The president of the temporary body of the city of Belgrade snatched the phone from a man’s hand and threw it on the ground.

You can find more details about these cases in the full report below.