A coalition of feminist organizations and activists has warned that women active in academia, the judiciary, and media in Serbia have become targets under the Vučić regime, due to their insistence on professional standards, accountability, and truth. They stressed the urgent need for institutions to step in and provide protection.
In a statement, the groups highlighted that law professors Ivana Krstić and Vanje Bajović from the University of Belgrade were targeted on the television program Informer, describing the case as a misuse of media for political attacks against the academic community.
“When university professors with clear professional and international credentials are publicly labeled as political enemies, it sends a message that academic integrity and professional authority offer no protection against campaigns of discreditation. This directly undermines academic freedom and university autonomy,” the statement read.
The organizations also criticized the release of an audio recording of prosecutor Bojana Savović, noting that such acts send a threatening signal to prosecutors and judges committed to lawful and independent proceedings. “Normalizing unauthorized surveillance and public discreditation is a dangerous blow to the rule of law,” they said.
Additionally, the attack on journalist Dejana Cvetković while reporting on protests in Surdulica was condemned as an attempt to intimidate and silence. “When a journalist is told they ‘cannot film,’ the public’s right to know is violated. When insults are gendered and sexualized, it clearly constitutes gender-based violence,” the organizations emphasized.
The groups called for an immediate response from relevant institutions in all these cases, urging protection of the safety, professional integrity, and dignity of women in public roles. They demanded an end to campaigns of targeting, discreditation, and misogynistic violence in the public sphere.
The statement was signed by Žene za promene, Alternativni centar za devojke, Autonomni ženski centar, BeFem Feminist Cultural Center, Centar za kritičko obrazovanje, FemIn kolektiv, FemPlatz, Laboratorija za feminističke politike (LabFem), and numerous other associations and activists.
