Schieder calls Pegasus spyware found on Serbian students' phones a serious escalation and urges EU action

The forensic confirmation of Pegasus spyware on the phones of Serbian student movement members represents a "serious escalation," Austrian MEP Andreas Schieder told Nova.rs. He urged the European Union to respond as concerns about surveillance of activists and journalists intensify.

Schieder said allegations that Serbian authorities had used spyware to monitor activists and journalists had circulated for some time. European institutions had already criticized such practices and repeatedly called for a full and transparent investigation, he said. The forensic evidence from students' phones, in his view, changed the scale of the issue.

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serious escalation

The timing is especially troubling because parliamentary elections are approaching, Schieder said. "A government that places students, activists and political opponents under surveillance cannot credibly claim that it is creating conditions for free and fair elections," he said.

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A government that places students, activists and political opponents under surveillance cannot credibly claim that it is creating conditions for free and fair elections.

Schieder also pointed to Serbia's status as a candidate for European Union membership. He said the EU had a responsibility to follow developments closely and demand concrete consequences. "Serbia cannot knock on the EU's door while trampling democratic rights at home. These new findings require a clear and decisive response from the European Union," he said.

At the first conference held by students blockading institutions, organizers said more than 10 students and opposition figures in Serbia had been targeted by spyware since the beginning of the year.

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Serbia cannot knock on the EU's door while trampling democratic rights at home. These new findings require a clear and decisive response from the European Union.