DistantNews
Support us
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ Serbia /Elections & Politics

SRF: Spying fits Serbia's image as an increasingly authoritarian country

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Analysis Named sources Under investigation
  • SRF reported that Serbian authorities allegedly used Pegasus spyware to monitor at least 14 phones belonging to students, activists and opposition politicians.
  • The broadcaster said the surveillance indications point to government involvement and would be illegal under Serbian law, while Serbian authorities rejected the allegations.
  • SRF argued that the alleged monitoring fits broader concerns about media control, election fairness and growing authoritarianism in Serbia.

At least 14 mobile phones belonging to students, activists and opposition politicians in Serbia were allegedly monitored with spyware, Swiss public broadcaster SRF reported. The surveillance reportedly took place before March's local elections and ahead of parliamentary elections expected within weeks.

Previous politicians, journalists and civil society representatives in Serbia were also monitored with such software. Under Serbian law, that would be illegal.

· SRFThe broadcaster cited earlier surveillance cases and the legal implications of using the spyware.

SRF said the indications point to government involvement because the Israeli company NSO Group sells its Pegasus spyware only to states. Monitoring with the software is also extremely expensive and technically complex, the broadcaster said. Serbian authorities rejected the accusations, but the allegations are uncomfortable for Belgrade, especially after the European Union condemned possible spying on political opponents.

The broadcaster said the scandal alone is unlikely to bring down Serbia's government. Protests have continued for two years and placed President Aleksandar Vuฤiฤ‡ under greater pressure than ever, while authorities have failed to contain the protest movement. Students now want to run their own list in the parliamentary election, and SRF said opinion polls suggest they could threaten Vuฤiฤ‡.

Ultimately, this scandal should not shake Serbia's government.

· SRFSRF assessed the likely political effect of the alleged surveillance.

SRF also described a media environment in which most outlets are controlled by the authorities. It said the alleged spying receives little mention there, while Vuฤiฤ‡ is praised and students are attacked and vilified. Only a small number of independent media outlets have reported on the allegations, the broadcaster said.

No. Elections in Serbia are neither fair nor free.

· SRFThe broadcaster answered whether elections could be fair if one side spies on the other.

Asked whether elections can be fair when one side monitors the other, SRF answered no. It cited concerns over vote buying, government dominance of the media and possible manipulation of results, allegations previously made by international election observers. The suspected surveillance, it concluded, fits the picture of a country where power is becoming increasingly authoritarian and which is difficult to describe, in its current form, as a democracy governed by the rule of law.

fits the picture of a country where the authorities are becoming increasingly authoritarian, and which in its current form can hardly be called a democracy and a state governed by the rule of law

· SRFSRF's conclusion about the alleged surveillance and Serbia's political system.
About this summary

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog