Amnesty International said in its latest annual report that the Serbian regime tried to rein in widespread discontent through repression against protesters, journalists and civil society organizations.
The report noted cases of unlawful surveillance, intimidation, harassment, including the use of a sonic device against a mass protest.
It warned that discrimination remained a significant concern affecting women and girls, Roma, LGBTI people and people with disabilities. According to Amnesty International, war crimes prosecutions and regional judicial cooperation were sidelined and the Serbian government stepped up its arms transfers to Israel.
The anti-corruption protests that started following the Novi Sad Railway Station tragedy which claimed 16 lives prompted a heavy-handed response by police and the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), it said adding that hundreds of protesters were arrested and dozens assaulted and threatened. “Journalists were targeted while reporting on the protests and other public-interest issues,” the report said and recalled the police raids on four NGOs alleged to have abused USAID funds.
It said the Serbian authorities continued the unlawful use of spyware and other invasive digital forensic tools against activists and journalists.
It noted the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights statement expressing concern over a rise in hate speech targeting women, Roma and other communities, as well as LGBTI people and journalists. A warning about discrimination also came from the Council of Europe’s GREVIO.
Amnesty International said that the continued implementation of the Law on Social Cards, which introduced algorithmic decision-making in determining who should receive monetary social support, resulted in 60,000 people losing access to financial aid over the three years since its roll-out in March 2022, disproportionately affecting Roma who continued to live in poverty.
Source: N1
