Expulsion of activists from Serbia: Another proof of repressive government

Recent cases of expulsions of activists from Serbia have triggered strong reactions from international organisations and neighbouring countries, pointing to a worrying trend of human rights violations under the pretext of “national security”.

The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced that a Romanian national, a member of an NGO, was expelled from Serbia after being detained in Belgrade on 21 January. He was detained and taken to a police station while attending a seminar together with other participants. Without a detailed explanation, he was ordered to leave Serbia within 24 hours, with a one-year entry ban, on the grounds of “national security”.

The Romanian Embassy in Belgrade has requested explanations from the Serbian authorities but has so far received no satisfactory answers.

A similar incident happened with five Croatian nationals, members of the NGO sector, who were also expelled from Serbia under similar circumstances. The Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs sent a note of protest to Serbia demanding an explanation for this. Minister Gordan Grlić Radman condemned the detention of Croatian citizens without explanation, describing it as an unacceptable act of repression. The Ministry also urged all Croatian citizens to be cautious when travelling to Serbia and to inform themselves before travelling.

The European Union has expressed its concern about these events. European Commission spokesman Guillaume Mercier said that it was unacceptable that peaceful civil society activists should be labelled a “security risk” and subjected to such measures. He called on the Serbian authorities to respect basic human rights and allow civil society organisations to work unhindered.