Serbian Equality Commissioner Condemns Attack on Writer Arsenijević

Serbia's Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Milan Antonijević, has strongly condemned a physical assault on writer Vladimir Arsenijević. Antonijević expressed his expectation that authorities will promptly investigate the circumstances of the attack and ensure the responsible parties are prosecuted.

In a statement posted on social media, Antonijević emphasized that a democratic society must not tolerate violence or intimidation against individuals based on their opinions, public engagement, or advocacy for the rule of law, human rights, and confronting war crimes. He asserted that a society where people fear expressing their views is not one of equal rights and that protecting the safety of all citizens, including human rights defenders and activists, is a fundamental institutional obligation and a cornerstone of democracy.

Antonijević further noted that such incidents complicate open and responsible discussions about war crimes, all victims, including Serbian casualties, those still missing, and the rights of refugees and internally displaced persons. The attack on Arsenijević, who is also the program director of the "Krokodil" festival, involved a group of hooligans assaulting and beating him under the Brankov Bridge in Belgrade. The assailants allegedly stole his phone, and the area designated for the Srebrenica victims commemoration was vandalized. Numerous political parties and civil society organizations have also condemned the incident.

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In a democratic society, no one should be subjected to violence or intimidation because of their views, public engagement, or advocacy for the rule of law, respect for human rights, as well as for confronting war crimes.