PEN Belarus joins the statement of PEN International about Serbia.
‘PEN International urges the Serbian authorities to end their alarming onslaught on peaceful expression, including against writers, journalists, academics and activists who dare hold the powerful to account. We stand with the brave people of Serbia and urge the authorities to immediately stop all acts of intimidation, repression, and reprisals, and to uphold fundamental freedoms,’ said Burhan Sonmez, PEN International President.
22 April 2025: The Serbian authorities must urgently uphold the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful protest and assembly, PEN International and Serbian PEN said today, as the ongoing crackdown in the wake of mass demonstrations continues unabated.
Serbia has been rocked by student-led protests since November 2024, when the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad, northern Serbia, killed 16 people. Many blamed the authorities for the disaster, alleging corruption and incompetence. Tens of thousands of people subsequently took to the streets in near-daily protests, urging transparency and accountability. Classes in universities have been suspended for months, with lawyers, professors, and cultural figures amongst those joining the strikes.
As documented by PEN International and Serbian PEN, the Serbian authorities responded to the protests by cracking down on critics and independent media. Government officials and pro-government outlets have falsely portrayed the student-led movement as violent and published some protesters’ personal data, jeopardising their safety. Meanwhile, calls for an independent investigation into whether security forces used a sonic weapon against protesters in Belgrade on 15 March 2025 remain unanswered.
PEN International and Serbian PEN denounce the deterioration of the human rights situation in Serbia in recent months, with the authorities relentlessly targeting the education system and expanding the use of politically motivated arrests and prosecutions to intimidate and silence critics. The authorities and pro-government groups remain accused of escalating violence during the largely peaceful protests, threatening further violations of rights.
Independent journalists continue to face attacks, verbal threats and intimidation by public officials, law enforcement officials and individuals. The Mapping Media Freedom platform recorded 74 instances of media freedom violations and attacks against journalists since the protests began. On 10 April 2025, writer and journalist Dejan Ilić was detained in Belgrade and later released on alleged charges of ‘causing panic and disorder’ for a comment he made on the protests in a TV show on 29 March. His detention sent a chilling warning to fellow journalists who dare speak out about the protests that they could be next. PEN International and Serbian PEN urge the Serbian authorities not to prosecute him.
PEN International and Serbian PEN condemn the Serbian authorities’ mounting onslaught on civil society, after the offices of five civil society organisations in Belgrade were raided on 25 February 2025 over the alleged misuse of funds received from the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The move was widely seen by national and international organisations as an act of intimidation. PEN International and Serbian PEN further renew calls for investigation into the alleged widespread use of advanced phone spyware by the authorities to unlawfully target journalists and activists.
PEN International and Serbian PEN call upon the Serbian authorities to urgently uphold fundamental rights, and to ensure that journalists, writers, academics and activists can speak out and inform without fear of reprisal.
Note to editors:
For more information about PEN International’s work on Serbia please see Identity on Trial: Persecution and Resistance – its Case List 2025.
For further details contact Aurélia Dondo, Head of Europe and Central Asia Region at PEN International: [email protected]
For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, PEN International Communications and Campaigns Manager, [email protected]