Belgrade, 1 Apr - The initiative to establish a service that would alert all those who cherish human rights and democratic values to occurrences or dangers of violation of human rights and disregard of democratic principles and institutions in Serbia, has proven justified and timely. The first three issues of our Newsletter met a very favorable echo in domestic, foreign and international circles: a large number of institutions, government agencies and NGOs, as well as embassies, media and a diversity of groups and individual peace and human rights activists expressed their warm welcome and encouraged us to carry on this endeavor.

The previous week was marked by the accelerating election campaign as May 11 approaches when a new Parliament of Serbia and Provincial Assembly in Vojvodina, as well as municipalities throughout the country are to be elected. These elections – that many observers tend to mark as another “referendum on Serbia’s future”, and blow out of any reasonable proportions – comes in as a suitable smokescreen for a variety of grave economic and social problems such as high unemployment, endemic corruption (also in the ranks of the estranged political elites), (self)isolation and creeping xenophobia, underdeveloped and barely functioning institutional system.
 

Outlook: As the election campaign in Serbia progresses and assumes features and proportions of a fierce propaganda war abundant in hate speech, critically minded NGOs, human and minority rights organizations and other groups outside of the mainstream “patriotic” homogenization around Kosovo run the growing risk of becoming collateral damage in this conflict. Use and misuse of the media in this context is symptomatic and alarming. It is also to be expected that the caretaker Government of Serbia – regardless of deep division that splits it - will continue to act outside and against the constitutional and legal framework.    

Full report please find here.