Violation of fundamental human rights in Serbia March 27 – April 9, 2026
During the last reporting period, we have witnessed a drastic escalation of physical violence and institutional repression. The local elections held on 29 March served as a focal point for coordinated violence, where the safety of journalists, students, citizens and observer missions was systematically threatened. This mood culminated in the unauthorized entry of UKP members into the Rectorate of the University of Belgrade, an unlawful intervention that undermined the autonomy of the University.
Along with school closures, the coordinated blocking of independent media accounts in Novi Pazar, and the mass prosecution of citizens who rebelled against the planned devastation of Rogozna, these events point to a systematic effort to use violence and institutional pressure to undermine basic freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.
For more information about these and other cases recorded in the previous period, see the full report below:
Two students in Novi Pazar are suspected of preparing the murder of state officials. The criminal charges are based on a secretly recorded conversation. The NGO says: this is a continuation of the authorities’ showdown with political opponents.
Students of the State University of Novi Pazar, Hamza Ziljkić and Nikola Marjanović, were arrested on March 22 on suspicion of preparing the assassination of state officials, i.e. acts against the constitutional order and security of Serbia. That day, their apartments were searched and their computers and mobile phones were confiscated. That same evening, they were ordered to be detained for 48 hours, although, as their lawyer Maida Toković told DW, they were not presented with a criminal complaint beforehand.
On Tuesday, the Basic Court in Novi Pazar ordered them to be detained for 30 days, which their lawyers appealed, and the court yesterday (March 27) rejected the appeal due to, as Toković said, the possibility of influencing, changing or destroying evidence. “That is absurd, considering that the evidence (seized items) is at the National Crime and Technical Center,” Toković said.
Alma Mustajbašić, a researcher at the Public Policy Program of the Belgrade-based NGO Civic Initiatives, told DW that the case of Ziljkić and Marjanović is “a continuation of the practice of abusing the law and security organs in order to deal with political dissenters.”
“Captured institutions have become a means of dealing with political opponents of the ruling party. Since the beginning of the student protests, and previously, during the environmental protests against lithium mining, we have been noticing an increase in the number of citizens arrested and detained,” Mustajbašić says.
He adds that these citizens are charged with various offenses.
“From disturbing public order and peace, to allegedly violent behavior at public gatherings and obstructing the work of officials, to serious criminal offenses such as calling for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order and preparing acts against the constitutional order,” says Mustajbašić.
She reminds us that the goal of “authoritarian regimes is to have frightened citizens who withdraw and self-censor and who do not raise their voices against corruption and crime.”
“Preventing Ziljkić’s and Marjanović’s lawyers from gaining access to the case files is a direct obstruction of justice and a gross violation of the law,” emphasizes Alma Mustajbašić.
“Political processes”
In December 2024, civic initiatives launched the “Shield” mechanism, which aims to provide assistance to people who have been detained or arrested during protests, or who are facing legal proceedings. Over a period of one year, more than 1,000 arrests have been recorded.
“Among them are 36 arrested and detained on suspicion of criminal acts of calling for a violent change in the constitutional order and preparing acts against the constitutional order. Students, opposition politicians, activists, war veterans and one lawyer were arrested. They were detained for posts on social networks, and after illegally intercepted conversations that were first broadcast on pro-regime television stations,” recalls the researcher from Civic Initiatives.
Among them are 12 activists from Novi Sad, also accused of attempting to violently change the constitutional order, whose trial began in November last year.
This trend has continued, and according to data from Civic Initiatives, since the beginning of this year, 50 people have been detained in the context of civic protests, and five have been arrested on suspicion of preparing acts against the constitutional order.
“The way people are arrested, the illegal wiretapping and the lack of evidence that the suspects actually committed the acts they are suspected of, indicate that these are political processes and political persecution,” Alma Mustajbašić concluded for DW.
Violation of fundamental human rights in Serbia March 6 – March 26, 2026
In the previous reporting period, continuity of various forms of pressure and attacks on actors participating in public life was recorded.
Journalists were subjected to verbal and physical attacks while performing their professional duties, were interrupted during fieldwork, and faced digital attacks on online portals. During student actions in the field, including the “Student in Every Village” initiative, physical and verbal attacks on students were recorded. Professors and citizens were subjected to misdemeanor proceedings for participating in protests, while on the eve of the pre-election rally of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, cases of pressure from superiors on employees were recorded, including demands to attend the rally with threats of dismissal and other consequences for employment status.
For more information about these and other cases recorded in the previous period, see the full report below:
Nacionalna radna grupa za borbu protiv SLAPP-a izražava ozbiljnu zabrinutost povodom privatne krivične tužbe koju je kompanija „Millennium Team“ podnela protiv novinarke N1 Maje Nikolić, tražeći da bude osuđena na kaznu zatvora do godinu dana zbog, kako navode u tužbi, krivičnog dela narušavanje poslovnog ugleda i kreditne sposobnosti u vezi sa tekstom koji se bavi kupovinom hotela „Jugoslavija“ i državnim subvencijama.
The National Anti-SLAPP Working Group expresses serious concern regarding the private criminal lawsuit filed by the company “Millennium Team” against N1 journalist Maja Nikolić, seeking a prison sentence of up to one year for, as they state in the lawsuit, the criminal offense of damaging business reputation and creditworthiness in connection with an article dealing with the purchase of the “Jugoslavija” hotel and state subsidies. The use of criminal legal mechanisms against journalists for published information and value judgments regarding the spending of public funds represents a serious form of legal pressure and can have a strong deterrent effect on media outlets and journalists reporting on issues of public importance.
Additionally, we point out that the company did not request the publication of a denial before initiating the proceedings, which further indicates that the goal of the lawsuit is not to exercise the right to correction or response, but to exhaust and intimidate journalists.
This case cannot be viewed in isolation. The company in question has previously been linked to legal proceedings against media outlets and journalists, which are often publicly characterized as SLAPP-like lawsuits (strategic lawsuits against public participation), such as lawsuits with high damages claims against local media outlets in southern Serbia, as well as proceedings against other journalists and editors for reporting on its operations. Such practices indicate a pattern of strategic use of the judiciary to burden, intimidate, and exhaust the media and journalists.
The National Anti-SLAPP Task Force reminds that, among other things, criminal charges, threats of imprisonment, bans on journalistic work, and high damages claims for reporting on matters of public interest constitute actions with SLAPP characteristics aimed at discouraging critical reporting and narrowing the space for public debate.
We point out that this is another in a series of lawsuits with SLAPP characteristics, which contribute to narrowing the space for free and independent information to the public. We call on judicial institutions to examine the circumstances of this case with particular attention and to take into account the standards of protection of freedom of expression and the public’s right to be informed in their actions. We also call on the competent institutions to continue working on establishing effective mechanisms for recognizing and preventing SLAPP lawsuits in Serbia.
The protection of journalists who report on matters of public interest is not only a matter of protecting the profession, but also of protecting the democratic order and the right of citizens to know how public resources are being managed.
The undersigned organizations will provide all necessary support to journalist Maja Nikolić and will monitor this case.
The National Anti-SLAPP Task Force, consisting of:
Violation of basic human rights in Serbia February 13 – March 5, 2026
In the previous reporting period, we noted the continuation of attacks, pressures and targeting of journalists, students, farmers, activists and civil society organizations.
Representatives of the state leadership again publicly targeted the journalists of television N1, while students and citizens are faced with increasingly frequent incidents during field activities. During the protests of farmers throughout Serbia, numerous pressures and arrests were recorded. The police filed a large number of misdemeanor charges, and five people were detained during the intervention at the blockade at the Badovinci border crossing, while twelve more people were detained at the protest at the Trbušnica border crossing near Loznica. Incidents were also recorded during the protest in Novi Sad in front of the Serbian National Theater, where students, citizens and activists reported brutal physical attacks, harassment and provocations by supporters of the Serbian Progressive Party, until the police intervened. At the same time, the targeting of civil society organizations and the academic community continued.
For more information about these and other cases recorded in the previous period, see the full report below:
