Freedom of association
In April 2024, students Mila Pajić and Doroteja Antić from the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad received death threats after participating in a video by the Youth Initiative for Human Rights which discussed the UN General Assembly Resolution designating 11th July as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. Right-wingers spread Pajić's phone number on social media, which led to harassment. President Aleksandar Vučić continued the attacks on national television, using the Srebrenica resolution in a campaign against political opponents ahead of the local elections and using photos and statements by activist Mila Pajić out of context to discredit the Kreni Promeni movement. YIHR programme director Sofija Todorović also faced threats, with warnings that her number would be published on Telegram groups promoting violence. Nationalist portals published a list of 14 NGOs they allege support the Resolution’s alleged claim of Serbs as genocidal, threatening their safety.
Before Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Serbia on 7th May, three members of the Serbian-Chinese Friendship Society were detained for 48 hours by the police. In addition to the members of the association, two of whom are women in their 70s, the brother of one of the association's members was also arrested. This association propagates the religious teaching of Falun Gong or Falun Dafa, which opposes feminism, LGBTQI+ identities, but also the Chinese Communist Party, which is why supporters are persecuted in China. Representatives of this association from Serbia were also arrested in 2014, also on the eve of the visit of the Chinese delegation, because the association was planning a protest rally. Although the activities of this organisation are not banned in Serbia, the authorities have followed the laws of another country in persecuting politically inappropriate actors, which is increasingly the case with the persecution of Russian citizens living in Serbia who express anti-war sentiments.
An activist of the initiative "Support to the People of Palestine" was taken to the police station for questioning on 27th May, the initiative announced on its Instagram page. The activist was detained for allegedly writing graffiti on the building of a company that exports arms to Israel, which has been carrying out a months-long offensive against Palestinians that has killed more than 30,000 civilians. This is not the first time that activists of this initiative have faced pressure.
Another activist was detained on the same day. Mladen Vladić, an environmental activist protesting against the expansion of a mine on Starica Mountain, announced via social media from a police patrol car that he was arrested in Majdanpek and taken to Negotin because of his participation in the Gazela Bridge protest blockade that took place in August 2023.
In May 2024, Peter Nikitin, the founder of the Russian Democratic Society, announced that this association has been deleted from the register of legal entities and will continue to exist as an informal association of Russian anti-war volunteers. Nikitin explained that the association was rejected by five banks that verbally refused to open the association's account, as a result of which he was forced to delete the association from the register. Nikitin believes that he and his fellow activists have been put on a "black list" due to his association’s activities. The association gained public attention by organising protests against the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
In April 2024, twenty activists who removed war-mongering graffiti in Mitićeva rupa received notice of misdemeanour charges against them for an action they carried out in February of the previous year. The activists’ lawyer stated that "the authorities obviously did not mind the hate message, but rather its deletion."
Problems persist with student organising at universities in Serbia, with suspicions that the ruling party is influencing university decisions through affiliated associations. This has led to tensions, particularly at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad. The elections for the student parliament there have been interrupted three times, most recently with a physical attack on representatives of the informal group STAV by ruling Serbian Progressive Party member Aleksandar Gajić on 21st May. During the incident, Gajić struck activist Mila Pajić and another student. The STAV group is obstructing the elections to highlight the undemocratic process, where only one list with close political ties to the regime was permitted to be nominated.
On 9th May, a group of citizens and activists from the association "Za naš kej" (For Our Quay) gathered at Aleksandar Šapić's media conference, where he once again spoke about improving the Sava Quay. They wanted to ask the incumbent mayor questions and express their dissatisfaction with his work at the head of the capital, as well as point out the numerous incidents that have occurred during his term of office. The mayor responded dismissively and aggressively, which culminated in him taking a citizen's phone and throwing it on the floor.
Workers have also faced pressure for participating in union activity. The branch union of metal workers "Nezavisnost" announced that the workers in "Krušik" from Valjevo are being pressured because of joining the union. In addition to the increased administrative oversight of the union itself, the employer also formed a commission to investigate the workers who joined the union. The company’s conduct is a violation of all national and international standards in the area of labour rights, in particular freedom of association and collective bargaining .
Freedom of peaceful assembly
The association "Women for Peace" from Leskovac received a notice from the Department for Communal-Housing Affairs from the city administration that they must pay a symbolic fee for their installation – flower pots with individual flowers and a list of the names of 400 women and girls in Serbia who were victims of femicide. Two days after commemorating the National Day of Remembrance for Women Victims of Violence on 18th May with this installation, the association received a letter that it had to pay a symbolic fee of 750 dinars (around 7 USD), although the Association claims that they duly registered the assembly and installation. The association also received a request to submit a sketch of the installation certified by an authorised project architect, which is not usual in such situations. The representatives of the Association, at the press conference, expressed their doubt that they were punished in this way because of this, as well as earlier activities, with which they pointed out numerous problems at the local level.
Freedom of expression
In April, journalist and professor Dinko Gruhonjić was insulted and threatened with physical violence by an unknown man on the street. Gruhonić has been a frequent target of harassment for his views. So far, only some of the people who had threatened Gruhonjić and journalist Ana Lalić in the past have been arrested. As of the time of writing, no one has been held accountable for writing hate graffiti at the entrance to the building where Gruhonjić lives with his family.
Also in April, threats against members of the editorial staff of the N1 portal were written in comments on news articles about President Vučić's stay in America and the topics of Kosovo and the resolution on Srebrenica at the UN. In one of the comments, the commenter wrote that the N1 journalists "will "soon be liquidated, neutralised and nothing will be left of them". The man who made the threats was subsequently arrested and given a suspended sentence after admitting guilt.
During Chinese president Xi Jinping’s visit to Serbia on 7th May, an unknown man, assumed to be a foreign citizen, approached the reporter and the N1 cameraman and started filming them. The man was filming the N1 crew and asking them questions about who they were and from which television station. The N1 team was at a location in New Belgrade where many buses with Chinese citizens were parked. They were brought to follow the Chinese president's visit to Serbia, as was the case with many Serbian citizens, who were transported from public companies from different cities in an organised manner.
On 29th May, Milan Lađević, the editor of the pro-regime tabloid “Srpski telegraf”, punched Radar journalist Vuk Cvijić in the head. The attack took place on the street, and Cvijić assumes that the reason for the attack is that in his texts he wrote about the former head of the Novi Sad police, who is Lađević's godfather.
On 11th April, the ultraconservative movement "Naši" dropped leaflets directed against opposition politicians and media into the entrance of the building where the Danas media outlet’s editorial offices are located. In addition to Danas, the media N1 and Nova S were also targeted in the leaflets. It is not the first time that this movement has carried out such an action.
Investigative media continue to be the target of SLAPP lawsuits. On 30th May, the KRIK investigative portal received another SLAPP lawsuit. This time, the complaint was filed by judge Dušanka Đorđević, who is requesting monetary compensation as well as a two-year professional ban and ten month prison sentence for the journalists for an alleged breach of her privacy. The complaint concerns KRIK’s award-winning database “Judge who judges,” which publishes publicly available information about judges with the aim of improving judicial transparency. KRIK deemed the lawsuit "an unprecedented pressure on the work of the media and an attempt to prohibit journalists from reporting on the work and integrity of judges".
On 28th May, the General Secretary of the Rowing Federation of Serbia, Vladimir Antić, filed a private criminal lawsuit against Pištaljka journalist Snežana Đurić for the “unauthorised publication and display of other people's writings, portraits and videos," as well as criminal insult. He has also filed a civil claim for “mental pain due to injury to honour and reputation", demanding 200,000 RSD (2,000 USD) in compensation. The lawsuit refers to an article about alleged reprisals against a whistleblower who pointed out irregularities in the work of the association. The picture of Antić published in the text was taken from the official website of the Rowing Association. Antić is demanding a two-year prison sentence for the journalist for the alleged breach of his privacy, and a fine of 450,000 RSD (4,500 USD) for the insult.