We, representatives of European civil society from across the continent, express our deep concern over the rapid escalation of restrictions, attacks, and repression against civil society in Serbia and call on the Serbian authorities to stop them. The latest illegal police raid on five leading non-governmental organisations represents a stark and deeply troubling intensification of the systemic effort to silence critical voices and suppress fundamental freedoms. This targeted assault underscores the growing crackdown on organisations that directly empower citizens to participate in public life and hold authorities accountable.
We stand in unwavering solidarity with the people of Serbia who are courageously resisting state oppression and systemic misgovernance. The mass protests were sparked by the tragic collapse of the newly renovated train station in Novi Sad on 1 November 2024, which claimed 15 lives and left two others seriously injured. This disastrous incident laid bare the authorities’ systemic corruption and negligence, which is why the protests demand systemic change in addition to the government taking responsibility for the tragedy. The Serbian government has responded to these legitimate expressions of grief and outrage with increasing repression against civil society.
The scale of state violence and intimidation is deeply alarming. Dozens of attacks on protesters have been documented, including vehicles being driven into crowds and the brutal assault of a female student by ruling party activists. These examples illustrate the lengths to which the government is willing to go to quash dissent and deny responsibility for the disaster. Those who express support for the movement — students, professors, activists, and independent voices — are accused of acting on behalf of foreign interests and face threats, surveillance, police interrogations, and losing their job.
These attacks are not new. For over a decade, Serbia’s political leadership has steered the country away from democratic values and the commitments required for EU integration. Civic space in Serbia rated as “obstructed” by the CIVICUS Monitor, underscoring the longstanding challenges faced by those committed to this path. These trends are part of an authoritarian playbook that we have come to know and experience in our EU countries too.
Yet, in the face of this repression, the resilience of Serbian society inspires us and gives us hope. The protests, which have spread to at least 245 cities and towns, have drawn tens of thousands — sometimes up to 100,000 people — onto the streets. The broad support enjoyed by the movement from trade unions, farmers, the bar association, private businesses, and self-organised citizens, shows how rooted it is in the Serbian society. It is the largest mobilisation in Serbia in decades, signalling the strength of civil society and the unyielding spirit of the Serbian people in their struggle for democracy and justice.
All our struggles, in each of our countries, are interconnected and the strength of this movement is another brick in our collective power. The Serbian people’s fight for democracy, transparency, and human rights is also a fight for the fundamental values upon which the EU itself claims to be built. But the EU’s failure to act decisively has contributed to the deepening distrust among Serbian citizens towards the European path, weakening the enlargement process as a whole, and discrediting the EU’s external policy. Clearer messages and concrete actions are urgently needed to show citizens and civil society organisations that they are not alone in this fight, and that the EU truly upholds the values it claims to stand for.
We stand in solidarity with the people of Serbia in their pursuit of a shared democratic future, and we call on European leaders to do the same.
Signatories
- European Civic Forum (coordinator)
- Balkan Civil Society Development Network (coordinator)
- Ökotárs-Hungarian Environmental Partnership Foundation — Hungary
- Civil Society Development Foundation (CSDF) — Romania
- Platforma dobrovoľníykch centier a organizácií — Slovakia
- CIVIL – Center for Freedom — North Macedonia
- Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) — United Kingdom
- Society for Threatened Peoples/Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker — Germany
- RECLAIM (reclaiming.eu) — EU
- ARCI — Italy
- Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law — Bulgaria
- Humanitas – centre for global learning and cooperation — Slovenia
- Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre — Ireland
- Irídia – Human Rights Defense Centre — Spain
- BlueLink foundation — Bulgaria
- Migrant Tales — Finland
- Community Rights in Greece — Greece
- Democracy International — International
- Umanotera — Slovenia
- Association for Culture, Education and Communication (ACEC) — Slovakia
- APADOR-CH — Romania
- Ekopolis Foundation — Slovakia
- Rada mládeže Slovenska — Slovakia
- Media Diversity Institute Western Balkans — Serbia
- Media Diversity Institute Global — Belgium
- Carpathian Foundation Slovakia — Slovakia
- League for Mental Health in Slovakia — Slovakia
- MEMO 98 — Slovakia
- Nadace na ochranu zvířat — Czech Republic
- Centar za promociju civilnog drustva — Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Netherlands Helsinki Committee — Netherlands
- Kosovar Civil Society Foundation (KCSF) — Kosovo
- Inklucity — Slovakia
- Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia — Slovakia
- Pravo na grad — Croatia
- Kosova Womens Network — Kosovo
- Lëvizja FOL / FOL Movement — Kosovo
- Centar za građanske inicijative Poreč — Croatia
- Institute for Development Policy – INDEP — Kosovo
- CESI – Centar za edukaciju, savjetovanje i istraživanje — Croatia
- Partners Albania for Change and Development — Albania
- Rainbow Families Croatia — Croatia
- Association for Civil Society Development SMART — Croatia
- Slovak Governance Institute — Slovakia
- Community Development Fund-CDF — Kosovo
- CO2 — Croatia
- Mentor Vrajolli — Kosovo
- European Network for Citizen Initiatives in Global Solidarity —EU
- Fundusz Partnerstwa — Poland
- Stowarzyszenie Greenways Polska — Poland
- Art Kontakt — Albania
- Social Contract Institute — Albania
- Social Contract Institute — Albania
- Environmental center for Development Education and Networking (EDEN) — Albania
- Help the Life Association — Albania
- NetRDA — Albania
- Beyond Barriers Association — Albania
- Albanian Women Empowerment Network — Albania
- Albania Community Assist — Albania
- Group for Legal and Political Studies — Kosovo
- Statewatch — International
- Center Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV) — Albania
- Plesna udruga Tiramola — Croatia
- Organic Agriculture and Environment Association — Albania
- Voice of Roma in Albania — Albania
- Civil Liberties Union for Europe — Germany
- Youth for Youth — Romania
- Iskorak — Croatia
- BlueLink Foundation — Bulgaria
- Rrjeti per Demokraci i Gruas Shqiperi — Albania
- Irish Council for Civil Liberties — Ireland
- Association No limit pets — Romania
- PIC – Legal Center for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment — Slovenia
- Albanian Center for Population and Development — Albania
- Defending Democracy Initiative — EU
- DokuFest — Kosovo
- Danes je nov dan, Inštitut za druga vprašanja — Slovenia
- Multimedijalna koliba — Croatia
- La Strada International — Netherlands
- Vatra Psycho-Social Center — Albania
- Centre for peace, nonviolence and human rights-Osijek — Croatia
- Nerea Bellomo Corpa — Netherlands
- Mareena — Slovakia
- RADKA — Czech Republic
- CIOFF ALBANIA — Albania
- NEW EUROPEAN PEOPLE’S FORUM — EU
- Politiscope — Croatia
- European Institute foundation — Bulgaria
- European Youth Forum — EU
- Focus Association for Sustainable Development — Slovenia
- Association of Youth Information and Counseling Centers in the Slovak Republic — Slovakia
- My Brain My Choice Initiative — Germany
- Finnish Development NGOs Fingo — Finland
- Transparency International Slovenia — Slovenia
- Impact: Center against Human Trafficking and Sexual Violence in Conflict — Netherlands
- ILGA-Europe — EU
- COSPE — EU
- Life Quality Improvement Organisation FLIGHT — Croatia
- Young European Federalists (JEF) — EU
- International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) — International
- European Policy Institute of Kosovo — Kosovo
- DRUŠTVO ZA ISTRAŽIVANJE I POTPORU – DIP — Croatia
- Reporters Without Borders (RSF) — France
- Counselling Line for Women and Girls Albania
- Baltic Human Rights Society — Latvia
- VIDA — Portugal
- Plataforma Portuguesa das ONGD — Portugal
- International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders — International
- World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders — International
- European Movement in Albania — Albania
- Women’s Room
- SOLIDAR — EU
- SOS Malta — Malta
- Bits of Freedom — Netherlands
- Women’s Rights Agenda Belarus — Belarus
- Kooperativa-regional platform for culture — EU
- DOOR (Društvo za oblikovanje održivog razvoja) — Croatia
- Forumi Civil Selenicë — Albania
- Shoqata e Perdoruesve te Burimeve Natyrore Velcan Pogradec Albania — Albania
- PPNEA — Albania
- Ana Maria Acostăchioaei — Romania
- Centre for Peace Studies — Croatia
- Open Gate/La Strada — North Macedonia
- National Youth Council of Serbia — Serbia
- European Network against Racism — EU
- Croatian Platform for International Citizen Solidarity — Croatia
- Croatian Youth Network — Croatia
- Prešovské dobrovoľnícke centrum — Slovakia
- Slagalica – zaklada za razvoj lokalne zajednice (Community Foundation Slagalica) — Croatia
- Metamorphosis Foundation for Internet and Society — North Macedonia
- BIOM Association — Croatia
- ERA LGBTI ASSOCIATION FOR WESTERN BALKANS AND TURKIYE
