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Author: Tijana Ilić

  • Stojanović: Let’s all go to Kosjerić and Zaječar, the entire state apparatus is there

    Stojanović: Let’s all go to Kosjerić and Zaječar, the entire state apparatus is there

    Maja Stojanović, executive director of Civic Initiatives, said in Novi dan on N1 that now everyone’s task is to go to Kosjerić and Zaječar, pointing out that the entire state apparatus is there and that the citizens of those two places are under unprecedented pressure ahead of the local elections.

    Speaking about the atmosphere in Kosjerić and Zaječar, Stojanović said that residents suffer from “abnormal pressure from the entire state”, which amounts to intimidation or promises of many things.

    “We have the entire state apparatus focused there, and I can understand the atmosphere and the pressure and fear they feel. The only sure thing we managed to achieve with the protests to some extent is deterrence. We have to dig deep there, because the balance of power is completely different than in the rest of Serbia,” Stojanović told N1.

    She adds that such pressure would not be possible if parliamentary elections were held at the national level.

    According to her opinion, SNS perceives the elections in these two local governments as a “litmus test”.

    “If they lose the elections, they also see that it is the beginning of the end. That’s why they did all that. Just when there are changes in small towns, which don’t have to be drastic, changes of 10 to 20 percent, they show the atmosphere and change at the national level,” said the guest of Novi Dan.

    Asked if a new phase of pre-election violence is taking place in Kosjerić and Zaječar, where both activists and journalists were attacked, Stojanović replied that it is a “mini phase” and at the moment all human and material resources are focused on those two places.

    “At least the pressure and manipulation is three times worse than in the previous parliamentary and local elections in June,” she added.

    Commenting on the election for REM Council members, she says that it is more problematic than the previous contest, which was canceled.

    “We made a report on how many illegal candidates there are, how many illegal proposers there are. And there are many more of them than last time. This is an indicator of the authorities’ enormous fear that they think they have to use everything they can,” explained the guest of Novi Dan.

    He adds that such arrogance and reckless influence on the election process is much more visible to people, as well as to foreigners.

    “I think the EU already understands what the situation is today and how far this has all come. The main question for the EU will be whether they want to leave this hole in the middle of Europe and decide more politically. I’m afraid that their decision may contribute to the consolidation of this government,” Stojanović said.

  • Study visit to Subotica: From south to north – together for a society tailored for everyone!

    Study visit to Subotica: From south to north – together for a society tailored for everyone!

    May 29–31, 2025

    During the three-day study visit to Subotica, the delegation from Preševo ​​and Bujanovac – which consisted of representatives of the National Council of Albanians, local institutions, civil society organizations, the media and young activists – had the opportunity to learn about examples of intercultural coexistence characteristic of Vojvodina.

    The aim of the visit was to encourage cooperation between communities, exchange knowledge about minority rights, and consider the role of minorities in strengthening social cohesion. The focus was on the idea of ​​building a society that respects diversity and provides equal opportunities for everyone.

    As part of the visit, a round table “From communities to society” was organized, where mechanisms of social integration, solidarity and coexistence were discussed through examples from education, culture, language and media. Special attention was paid to the visit to the Institute for the Culture of Vojvodina Croats, where the participants discussed the role of cultural institutions in preserving the identity of minorities, the importance of research work and experiences in exercising rights through institutional frameworks.

    The delegation had the opportunity to get acquainted with the work of the Clara and Ross organization, which hosted the visit, as well as with the activities of the Tahles association and the Women’s Studies program. Through city walks and informal meetings, the participants experienced the spirit of multicultural everyday life in Subotica.

    A significant part of the program was dedicated to young people – they, through joint activities with their peers from Subotica, including recording messages for the TEEN podcast, exchanged views, ideas and experiences.

    This study visit once again showed how much potential for understanding and connection lies in direct dialogue, getting to know each other and learning together.

    This study visit was supported within the project “Empowering Albanian youth and improving integration into Serbian society”, implemented by Citizen Initiatives, and financed by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF).

    ALB

    From south to north – together for a society for all!
    Study visit to Subotica

    29–31. maj

    During a three-day study visit to Subotica, a delegation from Preševo ​​and Bujanovac – composed of representatives of the Albanian National Council, local institutions, civil society organizations, media, and young activists – had the opportunity to get acquainted with the examples of intercultural coexistence that are characteristic of Vojvodina.

    The aim of the visit was to promote cooperation between communities, exchange knowledge on minority rights and open a discussion on the contribution that minorities can make to social cohesion. The focus was on building a society that values ​​differences and offers equal opportunities for all.

    As part of the visit, a round table “From communities to society” was also organized, where mechanisms of social integration, solidarity and coexistence were discussed through examples from education, culture, language and media. Particular attention was drawn to the visit to the Institute of Culture of the Croats of Vojvodina, where participants discussed the role of cultural institutions in preserving the identity of minorities, the importance of research work and experiences in the realization of rights through institutional mechanisms.

    The delegation also had the opportunity to learn about the work of the Klara and Rosa organization, which hosted the visit, as well as the activities of the Tahles association and the Women’s Studies program. Through city walks and informal meetings, the participants experienced the multicultural spirit of everyday life in Subotica.

    An important part of the program was dedicated to young people – they, through joint activities with their peers from Subotica, including recording messages for the TEEN podcast, exchanged views, ideas and experiences.

    This study visit once again demonstrated the potential of direct dialogue, mutual recognition, and learning together for building understanding and connections between communities.

    This study visit was carried out within the framework of the project “Empowering Albanian Youth and Encouraging Integration into Society”, which is implemented by Civic Initiatives and funded by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF).

  • The attack on an activist in Kosjerić is an indication of how the government intends to participate in the elections

    Civic initiatives strongly condemn the physical attack on activist Aleksa Pavlović that happened today in the center of Kosjerić near the stand of the Serbian Progressive Party. The activist was attacked by SNS official and the president of the local community of Makovište, Ljubiša Knežević – a person known for his violence.

    We remind you that on May 16, Knežević, a former policeman, attacked the N1 television cameraman in the village of Makovište, and everything happened in the presence of the highest SNS officials, including party president Miloš Vučević and the SNS list holder in Kosjerić, Žarko Đokić. Knežević suffered no consequences for that attack, and the lack of adequate punishment for violent behavior leads to repeated incidents in which government critics are the targets.

    The pre-election campaign in Kosjerić is underway, and the local elections that will be held in Kosjerić and Zaječar are the first elections since the beginning of student protests and blockades. The already existing social tension has intensified in these places, where a strong campaign by representatives of the authorities is being conducted. Just two days ago, we warned about the abuse of state institutions for the purpose of a political campaign, when the Apoteka Beograd truck arrived in the village of Kosjerić in front of the polling station and, in the presence of a nurse, a candidate on the SNS list, offered free examinations to the locals.

    We call on the police and the prosecutor’s office to react urgently and prevent further repetition of such types of violence. An attack on an activist is an attack on the basic democratic principles of the election process and is an indicator of how the government intends to participate in these elections.

  • Published report on the ongoing election process for the REM Council: “Worse than last time!”

    Published report on the ongoing election process for the REM Council: “Worse than last time!”

    Belgrade, May 30, 2025.

    The election for members of the Council of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) entered a new phase. The Parliamentary Committee for Culture and Media is discussing them on Friday (May 30), and Citizen Initiatives found numerous irregularities among the proposers and candidates. A preliminary report with an analysis of the process so far has been published on the website www.remontuj.tv. The report will be supplemented with new findings in the coming period. On the same website, the documents submitted by the proposers and candidates during the current process of election of REM members were also published. The documents are distributed by groups of proponents and are ready for download, and others are invited to get involved in analyzing the documents, spotting illogicalities – and reporting to Citizen Initiatives if they find new evidence of irregularities.

    Worse than last time – this is how Citizen Initiatives briefly describe the list of candidates for REM Council members and the organizations that nominated them.

    Director of Civic Initiatives, Maja Stojanović, stated today that the new process for selecting members of the Council of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) is more problematic than the previous one, adding that some proposed candidates have no days of work experience in the electronic media and that they have very questionable resumes.

    At the Civic Initiatives press conference, where the findings of the analysis of the previous process for the selection of members of the REM Council were presented, she pointed out that in the new process there are many more proposers and candidates in all areas, but that the situation is problematic due to the large number of organizations that are close to the authorities and that do not meet the requirements.

    Stojanović explained that the most problems were observed in the area of ​​child protection, where the most illegitimate candidates were reported, who could disrupt the election process and affect its regularity, both in that area and in the entire process.

    According to her, the good information is that in eight areas there are candidates who meet the requirements, which indicates that the Assembly has the possibility to elect an independent REM Council.

    “What we see from the organization of those different proposers is that illegitimate candidates have the most proposers,” said Stojanović.

    As she estimated, if there is an agreement in such a problematic composition of proposers and candidates, we will again get a REM that does not even meet the minimum requirements for work.

    One of the authors of the analysis, Uroš Jovanović, assessed that the President of the Assembly, Ana Brnabić, presented incorrect information about Citizens’ Initiatives and candidate Antonela Riha at the press conference.

    According to his view, the direct interference of Brnabić in the process is aimed at political pressure on the Committee for Culture and Information.

    Jovanović emphasized that some candidates do not have publicly visible biographies and that it is impossible to find data on their social merits and work in the field of electronic media, and that some proposing organizations do not have published financial reports for the previous year.

    He believes that the absence of this type of information undermines confidence in the commitment of these organizations to freedom of expression.

    Watch the entire media conference in the video attachment:

  • Three freedoms under scrutiny: May 16 – May 29, 2025

    Belgrade, May 29, 2025

    Violation of basic human rights in Serbia
    May 1 – May 15, 2025

    In the past two weeks, several physical, violent incidents were recorded in which the initiators and perpetrators of the violence were officials or sympathizers of the ruling party.

    The N1 cameraman was attacked at a meeting of SNS in the vicinity of Kosjerić. He was attacked by an SNS official who later found himself in the company of party president Miloš Vučević. A SNS sympathizer attacked a journalist from Južni Vesti at a gathering of the ruling party in Niš. An activist of the same party also knocked the phone out of the hand of Glas Šumadija journalist. Supporters of SNS pelted the citizens of Kula with stones and pyrotechnic devices for hours and on that occasion slightly injured several people. The president of the municipality of Vlasotince attacked the activist of the “Battle for Vlasina” Association.

    The amount of violence in society is unfortunately not surprising. The normalization of violence and even the glorification of abusers and the presentation of batterers as heroes comes from the highest representatives of the government. The president of the country also announced that he would pardon four men who left the SNS premises in Novi Sad, and who chased students in that city and on that occasion broke the jaw of one female student.

    Pardoning violent people is an invitation and encouragement to continue repression against citizens.

    For more information about these and other cases recorded in the previous period, see the full report below:

    CASES OF VIOLATIONS OF FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS IN SERBIA MAY 16 – MAY 29, 2025 Download
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