Sofija Todorović, the Director of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (IIHR), was detained again yesterday at Nikola Tesla Airport in Belgrade. This is the ninth time since July 6 that Todorović has been stopped by Serbian border police. IIHR stated that Todorović is still flagged in the system, making her continued detentions by border police during any entry or exit from the country baseless.
In a social media statement, IIHR criticized the continued practice of baseless detentions, noting that Todorović is aware of this issue, while the prison system still has individuals acting against guaranteed human rights, despite statements from President Aleksandar Vucic and Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić.
IIHR also emphasized that “secret lists discussed in public should not be a subject of speculation, as this creates an atmosphere of insecurity and restricts individual freedoms.” They called for the functioning of institutions to be in accordance with the law and for arbitrary detentions to cease.
The responsible security institutions, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MPB) and the Security and Information Agency (BIA), are required to explain their actions and put an end to unacceptable detentions.
