U.S. Republican Congressman Joe Wilson has accused Serbia under President Aleksandar Vučić of moving away from the rule of law and closer to what he described as “enemies of freedom,” warning that the Serbian government is threatening stability in the region and beyond.
Wilson made the remarks while announcing the introduction of the bipartisan SRBIJA Act, an initiative he submitted together with Democratic Congressman William Keating aimed at addressing political developments in Serbia.
“Under President Vučić, Serbia has deliberately moved further and further away from the rule of law and closer to enemies of freedom, such as war criminal Putin, the Chinese Communist Party and the terrorist regime in Tehran,” Wilson said.
The Republican congressman also pointed to the continuing anti-corruption protests in Serbia, where large-scale demonstrations involving citizens and students have challenged the government.
“Despite widespread protests against corruption, Vučić’s government threatens to destabilize the region and beyond. The people of Serbia deserve better,” Wilson said.
The SRBIJA Act has been presented as a bipartisan initiative in the U.S. Congress and comes amid continuing mass protests in Serbia over corruption, democratic governance and the policies of Vučić’s government.
The proposed legislation reflects growing criticism in Washington over Serbia’s democratic trajectory, its foreign-policy ties with Russia, China and Iran, and concerns about the potential impact of Belgrade’s policies on stability in the Western Balkans.
