Serbia: BFMI Stands Against Harassment of Civic Organizations

 On the 25th of February, four civil society organisations were subject to an armed raid by the Serbian authorities, marking a chilling new chapter in the government’s ongoing crackdown on independent journalism. Without a proper court order, police stormed the premises of respected non-governmental organisations CRTA, Civic Initiatives, Centre for Practical Politics, and the Trag Foundation. This harassment highlights the extent to which state institutions have been weaponised by the Vučić regime to silence dissent. 

Now, a group of civil society organisations have signed a joint letter criticising the government’s open abuse of state resources and demanding that this harassment stops immediately. 

 The Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade justified the raids by alleging the misuse of USAID funds. The office said: 

“Suspicions were raised against USAID in the previous period by the highest state officials of the USA in connection with the misuse of funds, possible money laundering and unintended spending of American taxpayers’ funds in Serbia”. 

But the facts tell a different story. These raids are not an isolated incident, but part of a broader pattern of systematic attacks, pressure and manipulation by the Serbian government to stifle dissent. It follows months of mass protests, where thousands took to the streets to demand functional democratic institutions, judicial independence, and a free and pluralistic media environment, as a key enabler of the rule of law. The government’s legacy of silencing critical voices – whether through media pressure, smear campaigns, or misuse of law enforcement – is on full display.  

 These raids have little to do with financial transparency and everything to do with intimidation. Many of the targeted organisations have long exposed corruption, legal violations, electoral manipulation and media freedom violations.  

 In their open letter, 21 civil society organisations, including Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia, Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation and the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, have highlighted the government’s hypocrisy in conducting the raids. 

“Instead of accusing these organizations of misusing USAID donations, competent institutions should investigate the spending of funds received from the state budget by phantom NGOs, for which there is evidence. The fact is that the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office has not acted on reports against these organizations for two years, and it has not determined how the money for voting was distributed in the call center of the Serbian Progressive Party, nor how the pro-government media spend the money they receive from media competitions.” 

The Balkan Free Media Initiative (BFMI) stands with Serbia’s civil society. We echo its call for an end to the harassment of civic organisations, the immediate cessation of smear campaigns in pro-government outlets, and genuine accountability for those misusing public funds.