Assessing that the pressures on independent voices are not abating, the International PEN Center reiterated its appeal to the European Union and its members to use all available mechanisms to contribute to the protection of human rights in Serbia.
International PEN Center he said that the Serbian authorities must urgently stop all attacks on independent writers, journalists and other creators, and he called on the European Union to use all diplomatic and legal means to ensure respect for human rights in Serbia.
On the occasion of the “comprehensive suppression of dissidents and their rights”, that international association of writers called for solidarity with writers and journalists who are “targets of harassment”.
“The situation in Serbia is on the verge of breaking out. The International PEN Center stands with the countless writers who are still being harassed by the authorities and pro-government trolls just because they dared to speak. The international community must redouble its efforts to end this. We must not forget that without freedom of expression there can be no sustainable peace,” said the president of PEN’s “Writers for Peace” Committee, Herman Rojas.
As stated in the statement on the organization’s website, freedom of expression in Serbia since the beginning of student protests in November 2024 “continues to deteriorate at an alarming rate.”
“Independent journalists are still at risk of physical attacks, verbal threats, smear campaigns and intimidation from public officials, law enforcement officials and individuals, with total impunity, while the space for independent cultural events is shrinking,” the statement said.
It is reported that artists and cultural workers in Serbia condemned the systematic loss of funding, limited access to public spaces and the media, as well as “professional retaliation against those who dare to express different views.”
The Pen Center condemns both the criminal complaint and warrant against military analyst Aleksandar Radić, after he spoke about the alleged use of sonic weapons at a protest in Belgrade on March 15, 2025.
The International PEN Center cited as an example of violence against dissidents that on July 11, a group of about thirty young people verbally and physically attacked the writer Vladimir Arsenijević in Belgrade, while he was planning to organize a rally to commemorate the Srebrenica genocide, after which the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade decided not to initiate criminal proceedings against the attackers, who confessed to the crime.
The International PEN Center expresses concern that such a decision would deny justice to Arsenijević and further prevent the Serbian authorities from identifying the organizers of the attack and holding all those responsible accountable.
In an open letter to EU leaders published on September 12, 2025, International PEN and PEN centers from the region of the former Yugoslavia expressed deep concern over the alarming situation in Serbia and called for strong EU action.
Given that the suppression of independent voices shows no signs of abating, the International PEN Center once again calls on the EU and its members to use all diplomatic and legal means at their disposal to help ensure respect for human rights in Serbia, according to the statement.
Source: FoNet, Vreme
