Serbian opposition: Justice minister claims defeat as triumph

Goran Petrović, vice-president of the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP), has sharply criticized Justice Minister Nenad Vujić, accusing him of misrepresenting the Venice Commission's opinion on judicial reforms as a victory. Petrović stated that what the minister calls a triumph is actually a "capitulation and a clear defeat for the regime." He condemned the minister's self-congratulatory remarks about the commission's assessments, especially in light of what Petrović described as a "complete collapse of the rule of law" in Serbia.

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what the minister of justice, Nenad Vujić, is trying to present as a triumph, actually represents a capitulation and a clear defeat for the regime.

Petrović argued that the proposed changes do not signify progress in the rule of law. Instead, he claimed, the government is "caught in an attempt to further subordinate the judiciary to political control" and is now trying to hide its failures under European pressure. He questioned the minister's claims about access to justice, pointing to citizens waiting years for hearings and the backlog of over 40,000 unresolved cases in the Constitutional Court. Petrović also highlighted inconsistencies in appellate court decisions and the selective application of justice, suggesting that legal outcomes often depend on political affiliation.

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The statement by the Minister of Justice praising the Venice Commission's assessments, while citizens of Serbia witness the complete collapse of the rule of law daily, represents the height of political insolence, deceiving the public and insulting the intelligence of this nation.

The SSP vice-president further contended that the "Mrdić laws" were designed not to protect citizens but to shield a system where scandals are covered up, investigations are halted, and accountability is limited to lower-level figures while political masterminds remain untouched. He asserted that merely adopting European standards under duress means little when Serbia has lived for over a decade under a system of "selective justice." In this system, ordinary citizens face swift punishment, while those close to the government allegedly evade responsibility for years.

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It is difficult to imagine a greater political absurdity than presenting your own defeat as a success.

Petrović concluded by stating that the president's pardons further undermine justice. He agreed with the minister on one point: the Venice Commission is not a court. "Because if it were," Petrović said, "this government would have long been held accountable for the systemic collapse of institutional independence and the transformation of the state into party spoils." He expressed hope that only after the current government is removed will Serbia have a judiciary that serves its citizens, not a "party cartel," and that laws will finally apply equally to all.

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What kind of justice is the minister talking about? Is justice available to a citizen who waits a year for a hearing, and a court proceeding lasts for years?