STATE CAPTURE

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.

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.

This publication comes after months of research conducted by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, in collaboration with its partners in the Western Balkans region - Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (Prishtina), Centre for Security Studies (Sarajevo), Institute Alternative (Podgorica), Institute for Democracy and Mediation (Tirana) and Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis” (Skopje).

The Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) organised a roundtable discussion titled "How to De-capture a State?" during which we presented recommendations for Serbia's exit from state capture and the latest research findings on digital captivity.

What are the most dominant post-pandemic conclusions, and what do the latest research results on pandemic management in Serbia and the Western Balkans show? Read all about it in the newest analysis made by BCBP.

The discussion entitled "Post-pandemic dilemmas: Are we safer or more vulnerable?" held on March 23, 2023, at the Metropol Hotel, organized by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP), was an opportunity to discuss the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, the country's readiness to respond to a possible next pandemic, as well as the impact of the pandemic on people's mental health.

The management of the crisis caused by the pandemic was marked by many omissions in respecting the legal framework, but also in the organization of the existing health capacities. Complete chaos was prevented only thanks to the efforts of doctors, while citizens, confused by contradictory messages, were left to fend for themselves. This was concluded at a round table organized by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy on June 6.

In this analysis, the predominant narratives of the pandemic shall be explored, as well as the ways they have impacted the state capturing process in the period from the second half of 2021 till 3 April 2022, when the general and presidential elections took place in Serbia.