Belgrade, December 11, 2025
Violation of basic human rights in Serbia
November 28 – December 11, 2025
In the week in which the International Human Rights Day is celebrated, civil society in Serbia is “under repression”. This was established by the CIVICUS Monitor International research platform, which lowered the rating of Serbia’s civic space from “obstructed” to “under repression”. This category, the second lowest possible, describes countries where freedoms of expression, assembly and association are severely restricted, and opposition to the authorities can lead to serious consequences, such as violence, prosecution or imprisonment. We witnessed all these and other forms of repression throughout the year. Not even the last weeks of 2025 pass without cases of violation of basic civil liberties and rights.
The authorities continue to spy on activists and political dissidents. BIRN, in cooperation with the SHARE Foundation, discovered that during the detention of four farmers and environmental activists, the BIA installed the NoviSpy spy software into their phones. In addition, farmers who have dared to protest and support the students are being targeted by excessive, selective inspections. Political retaliation against employees in the education sector who supported student protests and demands continues.
A group of masked men with mental bars attacked a Subotica activist after he was returning from a protest.
For more information about these and other cases recorded in the previous period, see the full report below: