Three freedoms under the magnifying glass: 1-15 September, 2019

Review of Violations of Freedom of Association, Assembly and Expression in Serbia 1-15. September 2019

Freedom of assembly, association and expression are guaranteed by the Constitution in all democratic states.

The daily monitoring of the state of these freedoms in Serbia gives a clear picture that the rights guaranteed by the Constitution are not unconditionally respected, but that in many cases they are conditioned by political suitability and favor of the authorities. There are increasing incidents of job loss for those who refuse to participate in the promotion of government, as happened in the case of Professors Marija Petrovic Stankovic and Mirjana Mitrovic in Bela Crkva. Journalists with many years of work in the public sphere are also under attack, as evidenced by the cases of the abolition of the journalist Tatjana Vojtehovski’s show, as well as the dismissal of Suzana Trninić. Perhaps the best example of a general degradation case is the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the Deputy Public Prosecutor, Goran Ilic, based on media captions and photographs published in the tabloids.

Activities of GONGO associations, whose aim is to discredit the work of CSOs and conscientious individuals, have been increasing recently. The work of these organizations is often adversely affected by the personal animosity of the holders of public authority. An example of this is the case of trying to evict the premises of the Children’s Center from Zajecar, as well as refusing the application for funding for programs of public interest of CSO “People’s Parliament” because of “unbound application pages”. Serbia has been on the CIVICUS Monitor monitoring list since March this year as a country where these freedoms are under serious threat.

Download the summary of violations of freedom of association, assembly and expression in Serbia from 1-15 September 2019 below.

 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.

Serbia was placed on the CIVICUS Monitor Watch List as a country where these freedoms are seriously threatened in March this year.

* 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.