Author: Tijana Ilić

Announcement regarding the arrest and ban on entry into the country of our colleagues from the region

Yesterday, January 21, in Belgrade, plainclothes police officers detained several people, citizens of Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Romania and Albania, in a Belgrade hotel and took them to the New Belgrade Police Department in an unmarked car. All of them are workers in the field of civil society, and among them is our colleague from the organization WHW from Zagreb, who deals with contemporary art. They came to our country to participate in the Erste Academy program that was held these days in Belgrade.

They were kept in the police station for several hours. During that time, they were questioned about their education, the faculties they graduated from, and the reasons for coming to Belgrade. After that, they were given a document in our language and the Cyrillic script that they were forced to sign even though most of them did not understand a word of the content. Colleagues from Croatia also emphasized that the police translated the document for them upon request. However, in that document, i.e. the decision stated that it was adopted “with the opinion of the state authority responsible for the protection of the security of the Republic of Serbia, which determined that the stay of the appointed citizen (…) represents an unacceptable security risk in the Republic of Serbia.”

By this same decision, those detained were given twenty-four hours to leave Serbia, and they were prohibited from entering our country for the next year.

We, the undersigned, call on the public to understand this event as a sign that they must no longer be tolerant of the actions of the rulers and to see in this act a proof of their panic under the pressure of a general social rebellion. The cowardly, illegal and vile treatment of colleagues from the civil sector from countries in our neighborhood is a dangerous attempt to strengthen the narrative about foreign agents, mercenaries and secret services whose intention is to intimidate the citizens of Serbia.

As a community of free and solidarity workers in culture, media and human rights, we are sending a message to all our colleagues around the world, and especially to our neighbors, that we will do our best to make sure this never happens again. We refuse to accept that the most noble values - cooperation, respect, solidarity and appreciation – which we promote together with a huge number of colleagues from the region, are discriminated against, punished, sanctioned, and our guests, associates and friends are detained, mistreated and thrown out of our country without any reason or explanation. There have been enough victims and traumas from the war-mongering nationalist policies of these same authorities, which during the entire nineties, as well as these last thirteen years, shamed us in front of the region and the world.

We ask the state of Serbia to apologize to all detained colleagues and their countries and to urgently cancel the shameful decisions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the RS.

Association Independent Cultural Scene of Serbia and its members:

Service station for contemporary dance

Art Base

Simply put

Kiosk

Karkatag collective

Organization Practicable

Art Association of the University of Zrenjanin

Creative mentoring

Fakirs from the South

Animated echo

New optimism

Satibara movie

BUNT Belgrade’s artistic new territory

Association Space

Communication point

Crocodile

Culture

Orchestra Light

Bookscope

HopLa!

Rebel readers

Beldocs – International Documentary Film Festival

Multimedia Center Led Art

Context

Auropolis

CESK Center for Empirical Studies of Southeast European Culture

ArteQ

LICEULICE

Omen Teatar

Parnas

Pathos Theater

Studio 6 – collective for the promotion of contemporary music

The Confusion Association

Cirkusphere

TV Tick

POD Teatar

REX Cultural Center

Studio for multimedia art

Three groschen

Comic book world

Switch

Kuda.org

Village cultural center Markovac

Gifest

Other cultural organizations:

Remont NUA

Mixer

Center for cultural decontamination

U10 Art Collective

Stereovision

International Association of Art Critics AICA – Serbia section

“Living Upright” Center

Per.Art

Organizations supporting the initiative:

Građanske inicijative

Jelena Šantić Foundation

Autonomous Women’s Center

Youth Initiative for Human Rights

Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia

Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation

CRTA

Belgrade Center for Security Policy

Center for Contemporary Politics

Belgrade Center for Human Rights

Komitet pravnika za ljudska prava (YUCOM)

SHARE Foundation

RAINBOW

Partneri Srbija

KUPEK

January 22, 2025
The “Three Freedoms” platform asks the government representatives to stop the hate speech and persecution of male and female students
The group of the undersigned organizations gathered around the “Three Freedoms” platform demands from the authorities to immediately stop targeting students, high school students, professors and all citizens who, from November 2024, demand responsibility for the death of 15 people in Novi Sad. The continuous spreading of hatred against them resulted in the attempted murder of a 20-year-old female student, which happened when a driver ran into her just before the beginning of the blockade in Rooseveltova Street in Belgrade.

Weeks ago, we witnessed the violent behavior of certain drivers who passed through the gathered citizens at roadblocks, without any information about whether anyone was held accountable for it. Today we saw the most serious attack of this type that resulted in serious physical injuries to a girl. Although the driver was identified and detained soon after the event, this case is only the result of the campaign that representatives of the regime are conducting against male and female students. From the publication of their personal documents in media close to the regime, through public targeting and discrediting of the goals and motives of student protests and blockades by SNS officials, to physical attacks on male and female students, such as the attack that took place at the Faculty of Law in Belgrade when seven of them were slightly injured, the violence that young people are exposed to is unacceptable and the competent authorities must show zero tolerance towards it. The pro-regime media, which targets anyone who supports students and protests, is also responsible for spreading this atmosphere, as well as RTS, which in its news broadcasts presents male and female students as mercenaries, and the actors who support them as terrorists.

We request the authorities to stop the hate speech and persecution of male and female students and to fulfill their demands. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is responsible for the safety of the participants of the meeting and is obliged to take all measures for their protection. In order to avoid future similar attacks and the further deepening of hatred and divisions in society, the highest state officials must clearly condemn the violence that male and female students have suffered since the beginning of the blockades and stop being the ones who, with their rhetoric, incite violence, conflicts and intolerance among the citizens of Serbia.

Signatories:
1. Građanske inicijative
2. Belgrade Center for Human Rights
3. Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation
4. Initiative A 11
5. Helsinki Committee for Human Rights
6. Committee of Lawyers for Human Rights
7. Youth Initiative for Human Rights
8. Catalyst Balkans
9. Partneri Srbija
10. Autonomous Women’s Center
11. Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia
12. Belgrade Center for Security Policy
13. Trag Foundation
14. Jelena Šantić Foundation
January 17, 2025
Three freedoms under scrutiny: December 27 – January 16, 2025

Belgrade, January 17, 2025

Violation of basic human rights in Serbia
December 27 – January 16, 2025

Yesterday we witnessed the attempted murder of a female student who participated in the protest. The disturbing moment of the car hitting the girl should not be seen in an isolated context. In recent months, we have witnessed numerous attacks on male and female students and citizens who demand the determination and bearing of responsibility for the death of 15 people who died when a canopy fell in Novi Sad. Student blockades started after one such attack on students of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts. Since then, the highest state officials, starting with the president, find different ways to justify the abusers. In addition, government representatives embarked on a serious campaign of targeting and endangering the safety of students, high school students and all those who support student demands. This kind of atmosphere just led to attacks like yesterday’s. The government must urgently stop spreading hatred towards dissenters, because they directly encourage violence and tensions in society. The number of violations of basic rights of citizens is almost impossible to count, but what is particularly worrying is the fact that these attacks are becoming more and more extreme and can lead to fatal consequences.

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

CASES OF VIOLATIONS OF BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS IN SERBIA DECEMBER 27 – JANUARY 16, 2025 Download

January 17, 2025
The government breaks the law to maintain control over RTS

Civic initiatives demand that the National Assembly and the Government of Serbia stop all manipulations in connection with the election of members of the Council of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) and to enable the independence of the body that ensures professional and objective media reporting such as public services, Pinka, TV Happy, TV B92 and TV Prva.

At the moment of the biggest protests in Serbia since the 1990s, and despite the held and announced student protests in front of RTS and RTV, the Government of Serbia and the Committee for Culture and Information are using political pressure and a network of fictional organizations to ensure control over the key pillar of the authoritarian way of ruling. The process of electing members of the REM Council, which has the most important authority over these media, is compromised by the illegal candidacy of persons who do not meet the legal criteria, and who prove their loyalty to the authorities through years of biased action.

Dejan Vuk Stanković, political analyst and frequent guest of regime media, is an example of a candidate whose nomination openly threatens the independence of REM. His recent statements that the latest protests “try to provoke repression” and are organized by “a small hypnotized crowd that goes nowhere and does nothing” (video available HERE) recommended him for the post of Council member. Leontina Pat, a well-known artist and candidate for the REM Council, has previously been involved in campaigns in support of the ruling party, including musical performances such as performing a song as part of the “Aleksandar Vučić – Because We Love Belgrade” campaign and signing a petition in support of the “Serbia must not stop” list during 2023. Stevica Smederevac, head of REM’s Monitoring and Analysis Service, publicly stated that national frequency television stations like Pink and Happy “fully fulfill their legal obligations.”

The Citizen Initiatives report reveals that out of a total of 34 candidates for REM Council members, even 17 do not meet the legal criteria, as well as 32 of the 121 proponents, such as Megatrend, which does not meet the legal requirements. These data clearly indicate systemic abuse of process and political pressure. The report is available to the public as of today.

Civic initiatives call on the National Assembly to urgently announce the date of the session at which REM Council members will be elected. We call on competent institutions, the professional public and citizens to react urgently in order to stop the further collapse of REM and ensure its independence. The regulatory body for electronic media is crucial for preserving professional standards in the media and democratic values in Serbia. A transparent and legal election process is the first step towards free elections and government accountability.

You can download the complete Report on the selection process for the REM Council by clicking the button below:

REPORT Download

IMPORTANT – The report has been updated: Compared to the previous version, the report has been supplemented with information on the withdrawal of the candidacies of seven candidates from the election process, as well as on the decision of the competent committee to announce a new competition. The decision to announce a new competition comes after the student blockade of the Serbian Radio Television building, with which the students clearly expressed their demand for new, legitimate elections for the REM Council.
Download the updated report by clicking the button below:

REPORT AMENDED Download

January 17, 2025
STRENGTH OF STRUGGLE: Student blockades in Niš – “This is not a protest, this is unbearable”

“These days, it’s the best thing to be a student.”

– Anđela Jeremić, a student from Niš

This is not a protest, this is intolerance. It was that last word, like a drop of fuel on the fire, that ignited the student rebellion.

It was spoken on the day when the University of Niš joined the blockades.

On December 4, 2024, a huge number of faculties in Serbia were already blocked by students, all those who stood in solidarity with their colleagues from FDU, who were attacked during the delivery of mail to the victims at the Railway Station in Novi Sad.

And that’s how it all began.

The students blocked the work of all eleven faculties of the University of Niš that have their headquarters on the territory of the city, in which they were supported by the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy Natalija Jovanović and most of the employees.

Students in Niš opened the doors of their current “home” – the faculty, and gave us the opportunity to take a peek into their everyday life.

Listen to the story they told us in the new episode of the “Strength of the Fight” series.

January 14, 2025

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