03 Feb Three Freedoms Under the Magnifying Glass: 20 January – 2 February, 2023
Belgrade, 3 February, 2023 –
Violations of basic freedoms in Serbia
20 January – 2 February, 2023
In the observed period, several cases of violations of basic rights and freedoms were documented in Serbia.
Threatening leaflets, signed by the extreme right-wing organization “Naši”, were thrown in the courtyard of the buildings where the editorial offices of N1 and the daily Danas are located. The journalist of the portal 021.rs, Gorica Nikolin, received insults and threats via Instagram, because of an earlier published text on this portal.
Members of the opposition Democratic Party were detained after attempting to attend a public session on changes to the spatial plan of the Šimanovci settlement, in the Pećinci municipality, which they claim to be under the influence of a local strongman of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party. Lawyer Čedomir Kokanović, previously known for organizing protests and advocating for strikes of lawyers in Belgrade due to the change of opinion of the High Court of Cassation, on banks illegally charging loan processing costs, was detained after an issued warrant. Kokanović’s lawyer stated that the warrant was issued illegally, based on a private criminal lawsuit.
The youth organization YMCA Serbia in Bački Petrovac was forced to leave the municipal premises that were given to them for free use.
In this observed period, the SLAPP lawsuit against environmental activists from Fruška Gora, in the lawsuit of Galens company co-owner Sanja Petrić, was dismissed.
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* The dynamics of publishing the report will depend on the current situation.