Professor Vesna Rakić Vodinelić, a respected law scholar at the Faculty of Law in Belgrade, has called for comprehensive accountability and lustration once Serbia transitions from what she described as an authoritarian regime under Aleksandar Vučić to a democratic system. Speaking for N1’s program “Resistance to Evil”, she stated that “those who committed evil must be held responsible — not only for recent months, but for years of systemic abuse.”
Lustration as a Path to Justice
Rakić Vodinelić emphasized that Serbia urgently needs transitional justice mechanisms, including lustration, as the only viable way to rebuild democratic institutions after years of corruption, repression, and abuse of power.
“In moments of political transition, we must ensure responsibility for those who have violated human rights. Lustration is not revenge — it is a legitimate institutional tool to prevent perpetrators from returning to power,” she explained.
She criticized Serbia’s dysfunctional institutions for their failure to deliver justice, referencing the ongoing case of the collapsed railway station canopy in Novi Sad, where senior regime figures such as Goran Vesić and Tomislav Momirović face criminal charges but remain in house arrest with little progress in the courts.
“A year has passed, yet the trials have not even begun. This paralysis shows why rapid legal response is impossible under this system — and why lustration is essential,” she noted.
Failures of the 2003 Lustration Law
Rakić Vodinelić recalled that Serbia once had a Law on Accountability for Human Rights Violations (2003) — commonly known as the Law on Lustration — but it was never implemented due to deliberate political obstruction. The Commission for Lustration never even began its work, leaving Serbia without a reckoning for past crimes.
“We missed our chance twenty years ago because the regime blocked the process. This time, the opposition, students, and civil society must not repeat that mistake,” she urged.
Vučić’s Lack of Political Will
The professor was explicit in her criticism of President Aleksandar Vučić, accusing him of shielding perpetrators and suppressing accountability:
“The will for lustration must come from the top — but Vučić will never allow it. It is not in his interest, because his regime depends on fear, corruption, and impunity.”
“Hunger Strike as Resistance”
Rakić Vodinelić also spoke about the hunger strike of actress Dijana Hrka and director Milomir Jaćimović, describing their act as a symbol of resistance against evil and repression.
“This hunger strike is an act of moral defiance. The state’s brutal reaction to Hrka, Jaćimović, and many beaten young protesters reveals the true face of Vučić’s authoritarian rule — a regime built on violence and humiliation,” she said.
She warned that Serbia remains “captured by cruel evil”, and unless citizens insist on accountability, the cycle of oppression will continue.
“Vučić’s so-called offers for dialogue are a farce. There can be no genuine dialogue with those who systematically destroy institutions and silence dissent,” she concluded.
