Pokret europskih organizacija civilnog društva je napravio proglas odnosno protest protiv ponašanja srbijanskih vlasti povodom protjerivanja NVO aktivista iz regiona sa seminara u Srbiji, koje će uputiti institucijama Evropske unije. Organizacije koje žele da podrže ovu inicijativu mogu to uraditi na linku koji je naveden ispod saopštenja.
Zabrinuti smo zbog pritvaranja i nepravedne deportacije građanskih aktivista iz Hrvatske, Slovenije, Rumunjske, Albanije i Sjeverne Makedonije koji su sudjelovali na Erste Stiftung NGO Akademiji u Beogradu.
Ovi su pojedinci pritvoreni preko noći, ispitivani bez dokaza, proglašeni “prijetnjama nacionalnoj sigurnosti” i na godinu dana im je zabranjen ulazak u Srbiju. Ovo je dio obrasca uznemiravanja, s dvije slične deportacije hrvatskih državljana posljednjih tjedana te s brojnim represivnim akcijama protiv mirnih srpskih prosvjednika.
Od ovoga ljeta intenzivirana je represija protiv srpskih organizacija civilnog društva, aktivista, srednjoškolaca i studenata putem nadzora dokumentiranog od strane Amnesty Internationala, učestalog pritvaranja i nekažnjenog nasilja koje provode paradržavne skupine. Ovoga puta režim se usredotočio na međunarodnu grupu građanskih aktivista koje sponzorira ugledna austrijska zaklada koja promiče regionalnu suradnju i učenje.
Ove akcije, usmjerene protiv uglednih profesionalaca i inicijativa za međunarodnu suradnju, ukazuju na sve veće neprijateljstvo srpske vlade prema domaćim i stranim građanskim aktivistima i novinarima. Ovo ugnjetavanje događa se usred masovnih studentskih prosvjeda protiv korupcije i lošeg upravljanja koje režim nastoji suzbiti okrivljavanjem stranih državljana i poticanjem neprijateljstva prema susjednim zemljama i EU.
Pozivamo srpske vlasti da transparentno objasne ove nepravedne prakse i osiguraju poštivanje ljudskih prava i sloboda. Institucije EU i države članice moraju pozvati Srbiju na odgovornost i zahtijevati pridržavanje demokratskih vrijednosti, posebno od zemlje koja je kandidat za pristup EU.
Solidarno stojimo uz sve žrtve ovoga režima i pozivamo na jedinstven europski odgovor za zaštitu građanskog prostora, mira i ljudskih prava u Srbiji.
S poštovanjem,
[organizacije podrške]
Link za podršku:
Slijedi duža verzija na engleskom jeziku koja će biti upućena Evropskom parlamentu i Evropskoj komisiji.
Longer version – to be sent as a letter to EESC, European Parliament, European Commission
European Civil Society Alert on the Vučić Regime’s Oppression against EU, Regional and Serbian Civic Activists
With great concern, we have received news about the overnight detention and unjust deportation of nationals from Croatia (4 people), Slovenia (1 person), Romania (2 people), Albania (2 people), and North Macedonia (1 person), who were in Belgrade on a study visit to Erste Stiftung's NGO Academy program, which educates young professionals working in NGOs. These civic activists and NGO professionals were held overnight and expelled from the country with a vague explanation that they endangered the safety and security of Serbia, without any proof or investigation to support these accusations. All the expelled individuals received a one-year ban on entering Serbia. They were stalked in front of the hotel and taken to the police station by an unmarked police car, exposed to hostile interrogation through the night and forced to sign a barely legible document in Cyrillic pronouncing them the “national security threat”. Over the past month, two similar expulsions of Croatian nationals have taken place, and earlier this year similar bans were made against Bosnian activists and writers who published statements in support of protests in Serbia.
Since Summer 2024, the repression against Serbian civil society organisations grassroot activists, high school and University students protesting peacefully as well as independent journalists has intensified through the use of surveillance documented by Amnesty International, detentions and unpunished violence by para-state groups. This time, the regime focused on an international group of civic activists sponsored by a reputable Austria-based foundation promoting regional cooperation and learning.
This incident reflects a troubling pattern of a rising hostility of the Serbian Government against both domestic and foreign citizens. Evidently, these oppressive actions are undertaken in the context of massive student protests across Serbia against corruption, mismanagement of public services and abuse of power, which the regime views as a true threat. This most recent incident raises serious concerns about the respect for human rights and freedoms in Serbia, especially about the safety and security of people and organizations engaged in human rights activism domestically and region-wide.
Moreover and equally concerning, the actions taken by the authorities appear to be part of a broader strategy to incite animosity against neighbouring countries and EU as a whole. The Vučić regime is obviously looking for an “external enemy” to divert attention and avoid responsibility for the problems with public safety and access to public services which have generated widespread and rising domestic criticism led by students across Serbia.
We strongly urge the Serbian authorities to provide a transparent explanation for these unreasonable and illegitimate actions against civic activists from EU member and candidate countries, and to ensure that such unjust treatment does not occur again. It is crucial that the rights of all individuals, especially those working towards positive societal change, are upheld and protected.
We call on the EU institutions and EU member states to take these human rights violations undertaken by the Serbian Government seriously and use political and institutional means to hold the Serbian Government accountable for its actions against its own and the citizens of neighboring countries, who are facing violations of civic rights, as widely evidenced by international human rights organisations. As a candidate country, the Government of the Republic of Serbia is expected to put the European values enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in practice. Instead of hostility, paranoia and international tensions, a government that claims democratic legitimacy is supposed to foster civic dialogue, cooperation and mutual respect – both within Serbia and across the Western Balkan region.
We stand in solidarity with all the victims of the Vučić regime – both domestic and foreign – and call for a Europe-wide action to protect civic space, peace and security in Serbia. Let us join our voices for free and safe Serbia!