• Human Rights in Serbia

    Despite the arrest of the two remaining fugitives wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia – Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic – and a push towards European Union integration, Serbia's human rights record is largely static. Roma suffer violence and discrimination. Media freedom remains a concern, with independent journalists complaining of inadequate protection against threats and violence. The cancellation of the Belgrade Gay Pride in October on security grounds drew criticism that the government was not doing enough to tackle intolerance and violence towards LGBT people. 

  • EU/US: Press Rights Issues on Balkans Visit
    Oct 29, 2012
    United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton should emphasize the importance of improving human rights records in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Serbia and Kosovo during their Western Balkan tour.
  • Serbia: Revoke Ban on Belgrade Pride Parade
    Oct 5, 2012
    Serbia’s ban on the Belgrade Pride Parade, scheduled for October 6, 2012, violates the country’s international legal obligations and should be immediately repealed. On October 3, the Interior Ministry announced that based on an assessment of security risks, it was blocking the peaceful demonstration and all other public gatherings on the same date.
More news »

Reports

More >>

Serbia

  • EU/US: Press Rights Issues on Balkans Visit
    Oct 29, 2012
    United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton should emphasize the importance of improving human rights records in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Serbia and Kosovo during their Western Balkan tour.
  • Serbia: Revoke Ban on Belgrade Pride Parade
    Oct 5, 2012
    Serbia’s ban on the Belgrade Pride Parade, scheduled for October 6, 2012, violates the country’s international legal obligations and should be immediately repealed. On October 3, the Interior Ministry announced that based on an assessment of security risks, it was blocking the peaceful demonstration and all other public gatherings on the same date.
  • ICTY/Bosnia: Start of Mladic Trial Shows Persistence Pays
    May 14, 2012

    The opening of the trial of Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb wartime military commander, is a salient reminder that justice catches up with those accused of atrocity crimes. Mladic’s trial for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide is scheduled to begin on May 16, 2012, before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.

  • Serbia/Kosovo: Halt Arbitrary Arrests
    Mar 30, 2012
    Serbia should immediately release two Kosovo Albanians arbitrarily arrested on March 28, 2012 in “retaliation” for the arrest of four Serbs on March 27.
  • In Mladic Arrest, a Reminder of How Far International Justice Has Come
    May 30, 2011
    The forthcoming trial in The Hague of the arrested Serb warlord is an occasion to assess the achievements of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
  • Remembering the Horrors of Srebrenica
    May 27, 2011
    The arrest of Ratko Mladic will finally bring justice to victims and survivors of the bloody slaughter of 7,000 men and boys, writes Human Rights Watch's Emma Daly, who covered the conflict as a reporter. She recalls the anguish of victims, savagery of Mladic-and denial of Bosnian Serbs.
  • No Safe Haven?
    May 27, 2011
    The arrest of the notorious fugitive Ratko Mladic almost 16 years after his indictment for genocide closes a gaping hole in the otherwise laudable efforts to bring to justice the authors of "ethnic cleansing" in the Balkans.
  • Ratko Mladic: How I Helped Bring Him Down
    May 27, 2011
    Nearly two decades ago, Aryeh Neier helped launch the international criminal court that eventually tried more than 150 suspects-and will soon try alleged war criminal Ratko Mladic. The former head of Human Rights Watch shares how the tribunal was born.
  • Serbia-Kosovo Talks Must Not Forget the Roma
    Apr 4, 2011
    With a little goodwill from both sides the plight of Roma families, who were displaced from Mitrovica in the war and abandoned in lead-contaminated camps, could finally be solved.
  • Balkans: Greater Commitment Needed on Rights
    Jan 24, 2011
    Efforts toward European integration for the Western Balkans are hampered by persistent human rights problems, Human Rights Watch said today. In its World Report 2011, Human Rights Watch documents human rights concerns in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Kosovo during 2010.
more documents on this topic »