Newsletter # 7 on Attacks and Pressure Against Human Rights Defenders

NEWSLETTER #7
ON ATTACKS AND PRESSURE AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

The Solidarity for the Rights of All Network presents the Newsletter # 7 on attacks and pressure against activists.The team documents attacks and pressures on the Incident Map through research of publicly available information and interviews with the victims. Since the beginning of 2022, 8 attacks and pressures have been registered on the map, both on those who deal with the protection of human rights, and on those who found themselves in that role due to their actions and suffered consequences. The Solidarity for the Rights of All Network is led by the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights – YUCOM, Belgrade Center for Security Policy and the People’s Parliament

CURRENT NEWS

Aladin Paučinac, an activist from Novi Pazar charged for organizing a public assembly without notice,
represented by Kristina Todorović from Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM)

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AND ACTIVISTS EN MASSE BEFORE
THE MISDEMEANOR COURTS

Police submitted requests for initiating misdemeanor proceedings for organizing public gatherings without notice against several dozen citizens who participated in the blockades starting from November 27, 2021. Previously, at least 1,000 citizens who also took part in the blockades received misdemeanor warrants for walking on the road in over 50 municipalities and cities in Serbia based on the Law on Road Traffic Safety. The Law on Public Assembly (LPA) threatens a fine of 100,000 to 150,000 dinars for organizing a public gathering without notice. This penalty in case of non-payment can be replaced by a 60-day prison sentence. Inspecting many requests, it can be concluded that the conditions for initiating misdemeanor proceedings were usually not met, that is that the court should have rejected the request because the description of the action does not correspond to the misdemeanor. Namely, the defendants are often accused of being the organizers of an unannounced public gathering due to the invitations they shared on social networks, although in art.10 of LPA organizer is defined through the cumulative fulfillment of three conditions as someone who invites, prepares and organizes the gathering. This is a continuation of the practice of the police, which targets citizens who share invitations on social networks or those who are more active at rallies, thus restricting not only freedom of assembly, but also freedom of expression. Many of the citizens who received misdemeanor warrants for walking on the road requested a judicial decision, and they have also received their summmons. Civil society organizations and lawyers offered legal assistance and representation to citizens. The proceedings are being conducted in Belgrade, Pančevo, Arandjelovac, Novi Pazar, Kovid, Kikinda, Čačak and other cities across Serbia.

ATTACKS AND PRESSURE IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY

New attack on Youth Student Action (OSA) activists
Date	February 26, 2022
Type of attacks	Threats, Acts of Intimidation, Blackmail
Type of attacker	Individual
Endangered right	Freedom of expression, freedom of association

Attack on Youth Student Action (OSA) activists
Date	February 18, 2022
Type of attacks	Defamation via Electronic Media or Social Media Physical Assault (Beatings, Violence, Injuries)
Type of attacker	Media, Individual
Endangered right	Freedom of expression, freedom of association

New attack on the Pride Info Center
Date	February 17, 2022
Type of attack	Threats, Acts aof Intimidation, Blackmail, Damage to property
Type of attacker	Individual
Endangered right	Freedom of expression, freedom of association

Smear campaign against Brajan Brković
Date	February 16, 2022
Type of attack	Defamation via Electronic Media or Social Media
Type of attacker	Media
Endangered right	Freedom of expression

Misdemeanor proceedings against the organizers and participants of the blockades
Date	February 1, 2022
Type of attack	Misdemeanor Proceeding initiated
Type of attacker	Individual
Endangered right	Freedom of expression, freedom of association

Ana Brnabić’s new attack on environmental organizations
Date	January 20, 2022
Type of attack	Defamation via Electronic Media or Social Media
Type of attacker	Public official
Endangered right	Freedom of expression, freedom of association

Lawsuits by Galens owners against environmental activists
Date	January 10, 2022
Type of attack	SLAPP, Criminal Proceedings
Type of attacker	Private Legal Entity
Endangered right	Freedom of expression, freedom of association

Attack on Aida Ćorović
Date	January 4, 2022
Type of attack	Threats, Acts of Intimidation, Blackmail
Type of attacker	Individual
Endangered right	Freedom of expression


More on the map…

REACTIONS

February 18, 2022	Stop the pressure on Novi Sad activists – The arrogance of the government must stop
	Group of NGOs
February 16, 2022	Vesić and the City of Belgrade condemned the attack on the Pride Info Center
	N1
January 21, 2022	Joint Statement From the Embassies of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Federal Republic of Germany
	Embassies of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Federal Republic of Germany
January 4, 2022	Opposition parties condemn the attack on Aida Corovic
	FoNet

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

BELGRADE, FEBRUARY 18, 2022

The Report on the Attacks on Human Rights Defenders in Serbia for 2021 was presented at the conference “Solidarity for the Rights of All”. Speakers at the conference were: Katarina Golubović, PhD, President of the Lawyers’ Committee For Human Rights (YUCOM), YUCOM lawyers, Milena Vasić and Kristina Todorović, Director of the Belgrade Center for Security Policy Igor Bandović, lawyer Mihailo Pavlović, Ane Tusvik Bonde from the Human Rights House Foundation from Norway, Orsolya Toth from the team of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, activists Aladdin Paucinac, Natasa Pusic, from “Be One” and Goran Mitrovic from the “National Parliament”.

Last year was extremely challenging because there was no opposition in the parliament, which is why those who criticize and reject cooperation [HRDs] get the labels of political opponents, foreign agents, Soros and Rockefeller mercenaries, and fake environmentalists.

Katarina Golubović, president of the Lawyers’ Committee For Human Rights (YUCOM)

Violation of freedom of assembly was de facto, by ramming vehicles in protests, institutionally, by the call of the Ministry of Interior for citizens to send license plate numbers of vehicles participating in blockades, legally, by initiating over 1000 misdemeanor proceedings, and even legislatively, through the adopted law protecting against noise pollution which prescribed a need for a municipal permission for gatherings that exceed the noise level.

Milena Vasić, lawyer of the Lawyers’ Committee For Human Rights (YUCOM)

The inaction of the police in the case of an attack on the Youth Initiative for Human Rights has opened the space for us to turn to the ECtHR for a interim measure. We are obliged to inform the ECtHR about the measures taken by the prosecution. It is quite inconvenient to inform the court, when the prosecution has not taken any action for two months.

Lawyer Mihailo Pavlović

What is interesting to see is that in hybrid countries (i.e Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine) there are more physical threats, violence, smear campaigns, while in authoritarian countries (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan) we see surveillance, prosecution, and legal detention. Attacks in authoritarian countries are mostly conducted by the state, while in hybrid countries attacks are mostly done by non-state actors (i.e. right-wing organizations), sometimes supported by the government and oligarchs.

Ane Tusvik Bonde, a representative of the Norwegian House of Human Rights Foundation

We have been able to showcase in the previous reports of the Rapporteur that action is crucial and if no action is taken, then attacks become more severe, and then often leading to killings. This is fortunately not yet the case in Serbia, but we have been documenting this in Latin America and Asia. It’s very crucial to address violations and strengthen the police and prosecution at this point.

Orsolya Toth, from the team of the UN Special Rapporteur on the position of human rights defenders

REPORT ON THE ATTACKS ON HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN SERBIA FOR 2021

The report aims to provide the interested domestic and international public with a simple insight into the current situation and information on the position of human rights defenders in Serbia, which has not been available on similar maps of regional and international type. Through research of publicly available data and interviews with victims of pressure and attacks, in 2021, 73 pressures and attacks were registered, both on those who deal with the protection of human rights, and on those who found themselves in that role and suffered because of their actions. consequences.

STATISTICS OF ATTACKS IN 2021

CONTACT

You can report attacks and pressures against your organization and yourself to the contact below with a brief description of the event, date, place and identity of the attacker (if known). We would ask you to submit a contact phone number with the application, at which you can be reached for additional questions..

You can report an attack at e-mail: office@yucom.org.rs