Serbian CSOs united under the Three Freedoms Platform strongly condemn police brutality against citizens protesting outside the City Assembly of Belgrade on December 24. They call for an urgent reaction from the authorities to protect basic rights and freedoms. The citizens have been gathering daily to express dissatisfaction with undemocratic election conditions and reported election fraud. Despite peacefully highlighting irregularities, police used force to disperse the protesters for the first time. The coalition demands a swift condemnation of police brutality, emphasizing the violation of the rule of law and the role of the police as a service to citizens, not a tool of repression. The coalition alleges targeted intimidation, including revealing personal information of protesting students. In the absence of state responses to legal violations, citizens are forced to seek protection and fight for rights outside institutions. The coalition condemns the use of force and calls on domestic and international entities to denounce attacks on citizens’ basic rights, aiming to prevent further erosion of political and civic freedoms. Read more here.
Source: Civic Initiatives