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.

Civil society in Serbia strongly condemns the targeting of Maja Stojanović and Dragan Popović by the President of the Republic of Serbia, which has directly led to new threats and intimidation through pro-government tabloids.

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.

There are many findings of domestic and foreign research organisations that unequivocally indicate that Serbia is a captured state, with a hybrid political regime. Security institutions play a major role in the capture of the state and the collapse of democracy in Serbia, as well as in preserving the situation the way it is.

The half-day conference titled “Behind the Scenes of the Balkan Defence Policies,” organised by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, was the opportunity to present and discuss the main findings of the latest edition of the Balkan Defence Monitor.

We present you the new Balkan Defence Monitor - independent and comprehensive source of information regarding defence topics in the region.

After the multiple murders that took place on 3 and 4 May 2023, the Government of Serbia adopted a series of measures to improve gun control and increase safety in schools and among youth. The aim of this study is to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of these measures. The research was based on different sources of data: the state authorities’ official reports, expert literature, media reports, interviews conducted ...

The chapter analyses the emergence and development of discriminatory narratives against the LGBTQ+ community in Serbia, and how cyberspace has provided them fertile ground, affecting the rights of LGBTQ+ people both online and offline. Using the example of EuroPride, which took place in Belgrade in 2022, it is demonstrated how digital spaces are being used as mobilizing tools by various anti-rights movements in Serbia.