The reports and words of international bodies addressed to Serbia in the last few days are far from good, they can even be considered devastating for the regime. Aleksandar Vučić.
High Commissioner of the United Nations for human rights Volker Turk called for all efforts to be made to ensure accountability in Serbia, saying that it is crucial to restore public trust in institutions and maintain the rule of law.
"There was no meaningful process of uncovering the truth and seeking justice for the tragedy that resulted in the death of 16 people at the train station in Novi Sad. This is happening despite the constant demands of tens of thousands of individuals who took to the streets, calling for justice," said the High Commissioner.
As he added, many allegations of violent attacks and arrests of peaceful demonstrators and journalists during demonstrations have not been investigated and remain unpunished.
"On the contrary, such incidents continue to recur," Turk added.
The head of the Chamber for Human Rights reiterated the need for quick, transparent, independent and efficient investigations into the fall of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad, which should be completed, since the legal proceedings against those allegedly responsible have stalled.
Turk emphasized Serbia's obligation to respect the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, thereby ensuring that measures to maintain public order do not go beyond the strict limitations established by human rights laws.
Vučić, predator of media freedom
Reporters Without Borders published a list of 34 "predators of media freedom" who attacked journalists and the right to information in 2025, including Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
The list also includes those who have been mercilessly persecuting the media for years, according to Reporters Without Borders, namely the Communist Party of China headed by Xi Jinping, Mohammed bin Salman from Saudi Arabia, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko. All of them "stood out" again during 2025 with unrestrained persecution of journalists and the media.
A harsh resolution from the European Parliament
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Serbia that highlights the polarization and growing repression in the country, one year after the fall of the canopy. 457 MEPs voted for the resolution, 103 were against.
The text points out that even a year after the tragedy in Novi Sad, the investigation has not been completed and calls for "full and transparent implementation of legal procedures after the investigation by the competent authorities, in order to bring those responsible to justice, in accordance with the rule of law."
It is emphasized that the EP supports the right of Serbian students and citizens to peaceful protests, calling for accountability and democratic reforms, directly linked to the rule of law, which the EU expects from Serbia.
It is also added that the Serbian authorities have resorted to violence against political opponents and the use of excessive force against demonstrators across the country, and assesses that repression has escalated since the beginning of the year.
The resolution points out that since August, the violence has further intensified, as well as that security agencies have been illegally recording and broadcasting private conversations.
Report of the European Commission
After the recent European Parliament's never harsher Resolution on Serbia, the harsher annual Report of the European Commission (EC) on Serbia's progress has arrived.
Progress is noted on several issues, while the list of setbacks or stagnation is much longer - the biggest complaints relate to the setback in the area of democracy, basic rights and freedom of the media, but also to the very present anti-EU narrative.
And while the government in Serbia speaks rather selectively about this document and says that it will read it carefully and react, assessing that "it is impossible to always get everything positive and everything nice".
"Polarization has deepened in Serbian society, following the wave of mass protests that have been held throughout Serbia since November 2024, reflecting citizens' disappointment, among other things, due to corruption and the perceived lack of accountability and transparency, along with cases of excessive use of force against demonstrators and pressure on civil society," the EC stated.
The European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, who presented the report, said that Serbia is expected to overcome the impasse in judicial reform, urgently reverse the downward trend of media freedom, freedom of expression, university autonomy, to ensure progress in electoral reform, because this is what the citizens of Serbia are looking for.
