We're deeply alarmed at the brazen attacks on independent journalists and civil society in #Serbia. Our latest update documents a worsening situation for dissent. Read it here 👇https://t.co/ylqXVFok1F#TriSlobode #OCDrs #srbija pic.twitter.com/i38bqu3xtO
— CIVICUS Monitor (@CIVICUSMonitor) August 16, 2019
As documented by the CIVICUS Monitor, the conditions for civil society in Serbia in 2019 have witnessed a sharp decline. In our previous update, we highlighted a litany of violations against independent journalists and civil society groups. In fact, Serbia is currently on the CIVICUS Monitor's watchlist of countries where there is an emerging and ongoing threat to civil society. To find out more, the CIVICUS Monitor recently spoke to Bojana Selaković from Civic Initiatives.
Bojana Selaković is Board member of Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN) and Programme Director of Civic Initiatives, founded in 1996 in order to promote and strengthen civic education and citizens’ participation in Serbia. Prior to that, she worked as a Manager of Public Policy Programme since 2013. She has been active in the civil sector since 2001, with minor pauses as an activist, volunteer and expert. She has initiated and participated in several dozen campaigns for raising awareness and public advocacy on the national and local level, including a large number of projects and initiatives oriented towards enhancing citizen activism, as well as those entities that provide direct help and assistance to vulnerable social groups. She has also been very active in establishing civil society organisations and networks and fostering their growth and effectiveness. She was co-author of four annual reports on an enabling environment for civil society development in Serbia based on BCSDN Monitoring Matrix Methodology as well as two independent monitoring reports of the Guidelines for EU support to civil society in enlargement countries 2014-2020
You can listen to our interview below: