On 26 June – the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights notes that the Serbian state and its institutions have still made no progress towards establishing a systemic approach to the prevention of and fight against torture. On the contrary, emerging trends point to a further deterioration of an already dire situation.
The most recent legislative amendments have failed to incorporate provisions that would reflect the numerous recommendations made by international bodies regarding the prohibition of torture and other forms of ill-treatment. The current legal framework still does not require the mandatory audio-visual recording of suspect interrogations or interviews with citizens at police stations; nor does it oblige the authorities to conduct these procedures in designated, specially equipped rooms. Introducing such measures would mark a significant step towards the prevention of torture and the protection of individuals from unlawful police conduct. The situation of invisible victims of torture and ill-treatment in closed institutions – such as psychiatric hospitals and social care facilities – remains deeply concerning. These individuals are often completely cut off from the public and unable to report abuse, while oversight and accountability mechanisms within these systems remain underdeveloped, opaque or entirely inefficient.
Investigations into cases of torture, abuse and degrading and inhuman treatment by public officials are still ineffective, despite the fact that these are serious criminal offences amounting to gross human rights violations. This is confirmed by the case of peaceful protesters rallied in the streets of Belgrade on 15 March, who, according to testimonies of over 4,000 people and analyses by eminent international experts, were victims of an as yet unidentified type of sonic weapon. Preliminary investigation proceedings are still ongoing before the First Basic Public Prosecution Service in Belgrade, while the public remains unaware of which, if any steps have been taken by the Organised Crime Prosecution Service in response to the criminal complaints concerning the event, or whether an internal police investigation has been launched. Meanwhile, the United Nations, Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights have required of Serbia to provide further information and clarification.
There has also been no progress in the investigation into the beating of 74-year-old Ilija Kostić at a police station in Novi Sad. Due to the injuries inflicted by police officers, he had to undergo emergency surgery during which one of his testicles was removed. Likewise, for over a year now, there has been no progress in the investigation into the death of Dalibor Dragijević, who died at a police station in Bor, where he had been held as a witness in the investigation into the disappearance and murder of two-year-old Danka Ilić. Official police statements issued shortly after his death on 7 April 2024 suggest that the public was not told the actual cause of his death. We are no closer to the truth today – we do not know what happened, who is responsible, or whether any proceedings have been initiated against the police officers present at the time.
Public concerns were raised in the recent months by a series of torture cases, including the beating of an anaesthesiologist in Novi Sad, who was assaulted in a car park by police officers assigned with guarding the owner of the Hepi TV station, Predrag Ranković Peconi. There is also no information regarding the status of the investigation into the assault on a plainclothes police officer in front of the RTS building on Abardareva Street in Belgrade in early March; the Serbian President publicly accused the students of the assault despite numerous video recordings clearly showing that he was attacked by a member of the gendarmerie.
Cases of ob-gyn violence continued, yet this form of abuse remained insufficiently recognised and inadequately prosecuted in practice. Gross violations of women’s rights documented in maternity wards in Sremska Mitrovica and the Belgrade Ob-Gyn clinic “Narodni front” during the reporting period involved inappropriate treatment, denial of informed consent, physical coercion during childbirth and treatment gravely affecting the health and lives of both the mothers and the newborns. The fact that such inhuman treatment is taking place in institutions that are expected to guarantee high standards of healthcare and protect the dignity of female patients is particularly concerning.
Despite the seriousness of the publicly raised allegations, no police officer, doctor or other healthcare professional has yet been held accountable in cases involving the concealment of torture or the treatment of victims who reported abuse. The lack of institutional response and resolution sends a clear message that torture is tolerated and that accountability is merely an illusion – thus completing the cycle of impunity and rendering any legal guarantee of protection against abuse meaningless.
Ahead of the large public rally called by students for 28 June in Belgrade, the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights recalls that the fight against torture is not only a legal issue, but also a profoundly social and moral one. We emphasise that institutional silence, impunity and disregard of victims’ rights further fuel a climate of fear, violence and mistrust in institutions. We expect of all relevant authorities to take urgent and concrete steps to prosecute those responsible and ensure conditions in which the voices of the people – including the students – can be heard without fear of retaliation or repression.
