Michael O'Flaherty, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, issued a statement on Monday 28 April concluding his mission to Serbia from 25 to 27 April to examine the policing of demonstrations - uninterrupted since the Novi Sad railway station collapsed in November 2024 - and the working environment for civil society and human rights defenders.
“The number of student demonstrations held daily across Serbia may put a strain on law enforcement forces”, admits the commissioner, but “it is critical to ensure that the framework for democratic policing is maintained”.
Michael O'Flaherty denounces the official discourse of a “colour revolution”, which aims to stigmatise students and could lead to violence such as car ramming attacks or beatings.
He is calling for investigations into these events, as well as into the alleged use of a sonic weapon - illegal in Serbia - on 15 March.
Other concerns include reports of deporting foreign nationals on grounds of national security for supporting demonstrations, and the environment for NGOs and human rights defenders.
On this last point, the commissioner highlights the alleged use of spyware against rights defenders and journalists, “foreign agent” type smear campaigns and the leaking of personal data to the media.
Link to the statement: https://aeur.eu/f/gln (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)