Opposition Party Pushes Serbia to Change Petition Law
A Serbian opposition party has proposed law changes that would oblige parliament to take a vote on citizens’ initiatives, such as one calling for life in prison for child killers.
Serbia’s Rightist MPs Pay no Price for Hate Speech
Advocacy groups and law experts say it is disturbing that far-right MPs in Serbia suffer no consequences for hate speech and other inflammatory actions – even when they break the law.
From hate speech to burning flags, right-wing nationalist parliamentarians in Serbia are notorious both for causing incidents – and for getting away with them.
Vojislav Seselj Criticised for Visiting Serbian PM’s Killer
In the latest in a series of provocative stunts, Serbian nationalist politician Vojislav Seselj pledged to seek a review of Milorad Ulemek’s conviction for the 2003 murder of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic.
Serbia’s Road to the EU Goes via Kosovo
The EU Summit on the Western Balkans, held in Sofia on May 17, was meant to be the showpiece event of Bulgaria’s presidency of the European Union. In the end, it made little impact on deciding the future of region, while recent events in Kosovo have placed a cloud over the EU’s entire Western Balkans strategy.
Council of Europe Advisers Criticize Serbia’s Constitutional Changes
An advisory body to the Council of Europe has supported the criticisms that Serbian judges have made about proposed constitutional changes, the Judges’ Association of Serbia said.
Human rights defender Milan Antonijević wants “more commitment” to the laws that protect the people of Serbia
“People are not questioning the information that they’re getting, and its really leaving a lot of space for malinformation, leaving many misinformed.”
UN court convicts Serb leader
During the war he described Muslims as “excrement” and called for Croats to have their eyes gouged out.
Seselj tweeted that he was “proud of all my war crimes” and was “ready to repeat them”.
Before the hearing, he said: “I don’t care about the ruling. Now I’ll go and have a siesta.”
Conviction Could Threaten Seselj’s Serbian Parliament Seat
Lawyers and NGOs urged the Serbian parliament to call a halt to Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj’s term as an MP because he was convicted of wartime crimes by the UN court in The Hague.
Serbian Law Changes ‘Will Curb Freedom of Information’
Serbia’s information commissioner, NGOs, and experts have criticised a draft law that they say will make it easier for institutions and companies to withhold important information from the public.
Serbia’s Ministry of State Administration has come under fire for proposing a law that many experts fear will allow institutions to avoid answering freedom of information requests, while totally exempting state-owned commercial companies from the obligation to do so.
Murder Puts Serbia-Kosovo Dialogue in Doubt
Following the brutal slaying of Kosovo Serb politician Oliver Ivanovic, analysts from both Serbia and Kosovo fear for the future of the EU-led dialogue, which was already in trouble.