Civic Initiatives Published a 5-Year Analysis on Shrinking Civic Space in Serbia

A new analysis, published by Civic Initiatives, describes the space for the functioning of civil society in Serbia in the last 5 years in systemic way and through practical examples. This year, for the first time since the democratic changes on 5 October 2000, a significant derogation of the legal framework for the work of civil society has been noted through the adoption of the Law on Free Legal Aid, and new threats appear in the form of the Preliminary Draft Civil Code and possible measures in the field of combating money laundering and financing of terrorism. During 2014-2018, there has been an increase in the number of physical attacks on activists, attacks on property, threats and pressure on members of citizens’ associations, as well as campaigns against civil society, humanitarian foundations and civic movements in the media, which seriously threaten the right to freedom of association. A special part is the analysis of a parallel civil sector – government associations that are used for corrupt actions and giving legitimacy to processes that are conducted without public participation. Read more (in Serbian) here.

Source: Gradjanske Inicijative