Pressure on NGOs

On 11 July 2026, writer Vladimir Arsenijević, programme director of the Krokodil festival, was attacked in central Belgrade at the site beneath Branko's Bridge where civil society organisations had planned to commemorate the anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. A group of 20 to 30 people insulted, threatened and physically assaulted him and defaced the space. That event, organised by the coalition "People remember people", was cancelled over security concerns, though other public commemorations in Belgrade and Novi Sad went ahead. Arsenijević, who suffered facial injuries, was examined at Belgrade's Emergency Centre.

The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade instructed the Criminal Police Directorate's Counter-Terrorism Service to identify and question all persons who publicly claimed a sound cannon was used at the March 15, 2025 protest, all participants of a January 22, 2025 student meeting, and doctors who organized medical examinations of protest participants. The order came as part of an investigation into potential incitement to violent overthrow of the constitutional order under Article 309 of the Criminal Code.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk issued a statement expressing serious concern over the erosion of civic space in Serbia. He cited reports of voter intimidation, police raids on opposition premises during recent local elections, and growing pressure on independent journalists and media outlets. Türk called on Serbian authorities to guarantee freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and to conduct transparent, impartial investigations into human rights violations. The statement adds to a growing body of international scrutiny directed at democratic conditions in Serbia.