Serbian Critics Face Rising Violence, Impunity Fuels Attacks, Experts Say

The recent assault on writer and "Krokodil" festival program director Vladimir Arsenijević is indicative of a wider trend of violence directed at critics of the Serbian government, according to professor Dubravka Stojanović and Sofija Todorović from the Youth Initiative for Human Rights.

They highlight a pervasive impunity for those who attack dissidents, suggesting that the increase in violence is connected to the "ruling ideology." Arsenijević was beaten and robbed under Brankov Bridge while preparing to clean the area for a Srebrenica victims commemoration event. His attackers allegedly stole his phone, vandalized the site, and later shared his private photos on extremist Telegram channels.

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Nasilje prema ljudima koji su kritički nastrojeni, koji ukazuju na nepravde, ukazuju na koruptivne radnje, na stvari koje se sa te režimske strane podgrevaju i podržavaju u našem društvu i karakterišu ih kao loše, nekako ti ljudi završavaju u zatvoru, bivaju zadržavani, bivaju fizički napadnuti, targetirani kroz prorežimske medije i televizije.

This incident follows other recent attacks, including one on drag performer Aleksandar Savić (Aleksis Plastik) and assaults on students in Mataruška Banja. Todorović notes that victims of these attacks share a common trait: they are on the side that criticizes the government. "Violence against people who are critical, who point out injustices, corrupt practices, things that are fueled and supported by the regime in our society and characterized as bad, somehow these people end up in prison, are detained, are physically attacked, targeted through pro-regime media and television," she stated.

Both Stojanović and Todorović emphasize that the lack of accountability for such attacks is systemic and has been ongoing for decades, not just recently. They question who is ultimately behind these assaults on dissenters. Stojanović links the current attacks to the culmination of the Serbian Progressive Party's (SNS) rule since 2012 and a broader trend that began with Slobodan Milošević and the rise of nationalism.

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Napadi protiv onih ljudi koji se kritički odnose prema vlasti ni na koji način ne procesuiraju. Imali smo najrazličitije slučajeve, prema udruženjima građana, prema aktivistima, prema ljudima iz javnog života koji na jedan kritički način govore o onome što se dešava u našem društvu i upozoravaju već deceniju i više gde sve ovo može da ode – i otišlo je.