Serbian lawyer Ivan Ninić has called on all judges and prosecutors to enter a work stoppage by Monday at the latest, in response to the adoption of a controversial package of judicial laws by the Serbian Parliament, proposed by ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) MP Uglješa Mrdić.
In a statement published on the social network X, Ninić warned that failure to act would signal total submission to authoritarian rule.
“If by Monday all judges and prosecutors do not suspend work and become headline news in global media, then we deserve everything that is happening to us,” Ninić wrote, adding that “the tyrant should impose even greater repression and terror, together with his mafia, in the narco-state he has successfully completed.”
Judicial Independence Under Direct Political Assault
The Union of the Judiciary has also called on judges and prosecutors to immediately suspend work, warning that the newly adopted laws represent a direct attack on judicial independence and the rule of law.
According to the union, the laws were adopted under an urgent procedure, without any public debate and without mandatory consultations with the High Judicial Council and the High Prosecutorial Council, despite clear legal obligations to do so.
Such a procedure, the union stressed, constitutes a gross violation of democratic legislative standards and a direct breach of the constitutional principle of separation of powers.
Accusations of Political Capture of the Judiciary
In a strongly worded statement, the union warned that:
- The new laws aim to undermine the independence of courts and prosecutors
- They enable direct political influence over judicial institutions
- They open the door to unlawful interference in individual cases, particularly those involving individuals close to the ruling political structure
“This represents a systemic threat to the rule of law and the constitutional order of the Republic of Serbia,” the union stated.
Vučić’s Regime and the Consolidation of Power
Critics argue that these legal changes are part of a broader strategy by President Aleksandar Vučić’s regime to consolidate control over all branches of government, effectively neutralizing judicial oversight and shielding ruling elites from accountability.
MP Uglješa Mrdić’s role in pushing these laws through parliament has been widely criticized, with legal experts warning that the initiative serves political loyalty rather than constitutional order, further eroding Serbia’s already fragile democratic institutions.
The developments have intensified concerns that Serbia is moving closer to a model of centralized, personalized power, where the judiciary functions as an extension of the executive rather than as an independent guardian of the law.
