ACCOUNTABILITY

The Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) strongly urges the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia to immediately cease the excessive and unlawful use of force against peaceful demonstrators. Security forces must treat all citizens equally, act in accordance with the law and strictly follow service regulations during any intervention.

The Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) expresses deep concern over serious irregularities, abuses, and selective actions by members of the Ministry of Interior during the local elections held on June 8, 2025, in Zaječar and Kosjerić. We call for an immediate, independent investigation into all reported incidents. These events are part of a broader security context in which the police are increasingly failing to fulfill their primary role—protecting citizens and upholding the rule of law.

In Solidarity with Students, Academics, and Civil Society

The Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) expresses grave concern over the President of Serbia's overreach of constitutional authority through undue pressure on police officers and open violations of the Police Act. We remind the President that they lack the legal mandate to make decisions regarding the appointment or dismissal of police personnel and urge strict adherence to Serbia’s Constitution and legal framework.

On Friday, March 14, activist and student Lazar Dinić was arrested in Belgrade, while in Novi Sad, members of the Free Citizens Movement (PSG) were detained: Lado Jovović, Marija Vasić, Davor Stefanović, Srđan Đurić, and Mladen Cvijetić. On March 16, the Higher Court in Novi Sad ordered a 30-day detention for these six individuals, and today, searches were carried out at the apartments of activists who are currently out of the country.

The Belgrade Centre for Security Policy strongly condemns the unlawful and inhumane deployment of prohibited weapons, such as acoustic devices, against peaceful protesters during a public gathering of hundreds of thousands of citizens paying tribute to victims of the collapsed roof in Novi Sad. This act represents a blatant display of force and an attempt to incite chaos, aiming to delegitimise protests and criminalise peaceful citizens.

In light of yesterday’s events at the rally in front of Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) and in Pioneer Park, the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy strongly condemns the instrumentalisation of the police in defence of the regime and reminds that the abuse of the security sector institutions in Serbia has been a long-standing trend.

We strongly condemn today’s armed police raid on the premises of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) without a proper court warrant.

On February 14, regime-controlled tabloids published articles filled with disinformation, accusing Jelena Jovanović, Operations Manager of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP), of orchestrating local protests allegedly funded through BCSP projects. These accusations are entirely unfounded and represent yet another attempt to criminalise civil society in Serbia.