We will not cooperate with the institution of the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality if Milan Antonijević is elected

November 26, 2025.

Civil society organizations that work to protect human rights and equality warn that the election of Milan Antonijević as Commissioner for the Protection of Equality would represent another step in the complete collapse of independent institutions in Serbia.

Of the five independent institutions that Serbia has, including the Protector of Citizens and the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance, all are under the control of the authorities, systemically delegitimized and headed by men elected on the basis of political loyalty, not on the criteria of independence and expertise.

The election of Milan Antonijević to the post of commissioner continues the practice of taking over institutions and turning mechanisms for the protection of citizens into an extended arm of the executive power. His political public support for power holders and ties to the structures that should be monitored make him inadequate to perform this function in an independent and impartial manner. Not least, the public relativization of violence against women makes him an unacceptable candidate, especially considering the prevalence of violence against women in our society.

In a situation in which discrimination is more and more present, and marginalized groups are more and more exposed, such a choice would additionally render meaningless the last pillar of institutional protection of equality in Serbia.

Civil society organizations therefore announce that they will not cooperate with the institution of the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, if Milan Antonijević is elected. We will not participate in consultations, working groups, projects or public processes led by an institution whose credibility has been compromised in advance.

This decision is the last attempt to defend the idea that independent institutions should exist, to serve citizens and not the authorities, as well as that protection against discrimination and promotion of equality in Serbia must not be illusory or politically controlled.

Signatories:

1. Activist group “Women for Change” Novi Sad
2. Alternative center for girls
3. BeFem
4. Belgrade Center for Human Rights
5. Women’s Support Center
6. Center for the Development of Local Media from Požarevac
7. Center for independent living of persons with disabilities of Serbia
8. CRTA
9. Dugina iskra
10. FemIn collective
11. FemPlatz
12. Geten
13. Građanske inicijative
14. Helsinki Committee for Human Rights
15. Impuls Tutin
16. …IZ KRUG – VOJVODINA, organization for support of women with disabilities, Novi Sad
17. Kolektiv Femiks
18. Lila Initiative Belgrade
19. Democratic Dialogue Network
20. Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia
21. Psychosocial Innovation Network – PIN
22. Buffer zone
23. Trag Foundation
24. Phenomena Association
25. KROKODIL Association
26. Empowered Women Association
27. Women’s Association Peščanik
28. Association for Nature and Society Multivoks Niš
29. Successful women from Kostolac, Tanja Grgić
30. Zrenjanin Social Forum
31. Women in Black
32. Women’s platform for the development of Serbia
33. Women’s studies and research, Subotica
34. Women’s Research Center, Niš
35. Aida Ćorović
36. Prof. dr Marijana Pajvančić
37. Radmila Gujaničić
38. Zorana Antonijević