The Serbian authorities responded to nationwide protests with excessive force, arbitrary arrest, curbs on civil society, and attacks on journalists and independent media, the latter part of wider interference with media freedom, according to the annual Human Rights Watch (HRW) World Report, published on Wednesday.
In the section dedicated to Serbia, the international organization said that justice for war crimes remains slow, with cases plagued by delays, and that people with disabilities remain confined to overcrowded institutions with inadequate care.
In its review of civil society and protests, the report indicates that nationwide protests occurred throughout the year following the November 2024 collapse of a train station canopy in Novi Sad that left 16 people dead, amid allegations that corruption had contributed to the collapse, spreading to widespread concerns over the dismantling of democratic institutions.
HRW said that authorities at times used excessive force against protesters, including tear gas.
HRW also cites a report from the non-governmental group CIVICUS, which found that activists and civil society groups faced intimidation, surveillance, and prosecutions connected to the protests, noting that more than 400 people were detained in early July, with credible allegations of ill-treatment in custody.
The crackdown was criticized by UN experts, the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner, and EU officials, HRW said.
Surge in attacks on journalists
The report says that attacks on journalists surged during the year and that, between January and September, the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) recorded 84 physical attacks and 113 threats. NUNS recorded 59 cases where police arrested journalists, used physical force, threatened their safety, or refused to act to protect them when obliged to do so.
The report noted that in August, uniformed police at anti‑government protests shoved and hit journalists, despite visible press vests and IDs, confiscating or smashing cameras and phones, as well as that media groups condemned the actions as a deliberate obstruction of press freedom.
It cited one specific case when, during an anti-government protest in Belgrade, police beat photojournalist Marija Colakovic with telescopic batons, although she was clearly marked as a journalist, leaving her with visible injuries on her legs and arms.
The report also mentions that in September, during protests in Novi Sad against police brutality, riot police used excessive force against and detained journalists despite their visible press markings.
In February, HRW said, identical Viber messages from the same Serbian number targeted two BIRN journalists with Pegasus spyware, adding that at the time of writing the report it was unclear whether authorities were investigating the case.
The use of vexatious lawsuits known as SLAPPs (strategic lawsuits against public participation) against journalists by public officials to silence their reporting remained a problem, said HRW, adding that, in response, investigative outlets in May launched a media solidarity network to combat SLAPPs.
Regarding women’s rights, the report notes that while legal protections for women exist in Serbia, including the Gender Equality Strategy 2021-2030, implementation is weak. It says that gender-based violence remains common, pay gaps and economic inequalities persist, and women from marginalized groups, especially Roma, face compounded discrimination and uneven access to healthcare.
Turning to accountability for war crimes, the report says that, between January and September, the War Crimes Prosecutor’s Office launched eight new war crimes investigations involving named suspects, and 15 other investigations. As of September, 20 cases against 44 defendants were pending before Serbian courts. Ongoing proceedings were marred by significant delays, HRW said.
It further reported that in September, the Belgrade Higher Court acquitted former Bosnian Serb Army Drina Corps Commander Milenko Zivanovic of ordering and participating in the forcible relocation of Bosniak civilians from Srebrenica in July 1995, which ended in the genocide of over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys and the expulsion of some 40,000 women, older people, and children.
The report also cites an instance in which the Belgrade Court of Appeal increased Danko Vladicic’s sentence from nine to 12 years following an appeal by the prosecution. He was found guilty in 2022 of having killed two Bosniak civilians in Brod na Drini in 1992, while the victims’ bodies remain missing.
Serious shortcomings of the asylum system
The report says that the asylum system continued to face serious shortcomings, including obstacles to accessing procedures, low recognition rates, and delays. Between January and August, Serbia granted refugee status or subsidiary protection to only three people. Serbia granted temporary protection to 925 people, all from Ukraine, HRW said.
During that same period, Serbia registered 320 asylum seekers (down from 511 during the same period in 2024) and allowed 82 asylum applications to be lodged (down from 156).
By August, Serbian authorities had registered 18 new unaccompanied migrant children, the report reads, adding that the country lacks formal age assessment procedures, leaving older children at risk of being treated as adults rather than receiving the protections children need.
LGBT people continue to face threats and violence, says the report, noting that, between January and September, Da Se Zna! recorded 81 hate-motivated incidents against LGBT people, including 14 physical attacks. The report notes that the Belgrade Pride march took place under increased security measures in September.
HRW says that Serbia has made little progress in deinstitutionalization, leaving nearly 18,000 adults with disabilities in underfunded state institutions with reports of neglect and abuse.
Supported living is rare, reaching only 27 people in the country. The report concludes that the government provided little support to more than 350,000 families raising children with disabilities, many of whom remain in segregated institutions.
Source: N1
