Human rights defenders are people who act, individually or jointly, to advance human rights and fundamental freedoms and fight for their protection at the local, national and international levels.

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.

The Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) strongly condemns the Serbian authorities’ misuse of digital technologies for surveillance of citizens, as detailed in the Amnesty International report "Digital Prison: Surveillance and Repression of Civil Society in Serbia."

A large number of unfounded detentions and arrests of citizens in recent weeks have been accompanied by propaganda against alleged foreign mercenaries who, in the interest of hostile foreign countries, are said to be undermining the state order. The goal of such manipulations, propagated by government representatives and media controlled by it, is to justify repression against political dissenters and to deter citizens from participating in legitimate and legal protests through fear.

At the annual meeting of the Southeast Europe Coalition on Whistleblower Protection, held on February 3, 2023, in Sarajevo, the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy became a member of this network.

How citizens can point out irregularities in the work of public enterprises and public utility companies, which operate in a very non-transparent manner in Serbia, read in the case study written by the Program Director of Transparency Serbia, Nemanja Nenadić.

What are the problems when it comes to the construction of the Linglong factory in Zrenjanin and how did the activists try to improve that process through institutions? Find out in the case study written by Ivan Zivkov.

We welcome the final verdict acquitting Srdjan Vukša, an activist accused of violating the Law on Public Assembly, on the occasion of organizing last year's protests in Serbia.

Can whistleblowers in Serbia exercise their guaranteed rights? How do their attempts to alert the public look like in practice? Read the answers to these questions in the text written by Sofija Mandić.