5-9 December 2023
President Vučić gives a rare interview to an independent weekly. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić gave an interview to Belgrade weekly NIN, a magazine considered by to be strongly critical of the government. Vučić said that the SNS would win an absolute majority in the parliament, adding that he “can’t find his way around in co-habitation”. He said: “If they (opposition) win, I will congratulate them that same night; I will immediately say that I am prepared to discuss presidential elections in May or September 2024.” He rejected accusations of wrongdoing by his party colleagues in several scandals brought up during the interview. (NIN (Serbian), 7 December 2023)
Serbia’s electronic media watchdog chief posts a photomontage of herself in a Nazi uniform. The head of Serbia’s electronic media watchdog (REM) Olivera Zekić posted a photomontage of herself in Nazi uniform on her Telegram channel profile. “I did it purely for provocation,” she told and added: “You know I like to provoke; I could have put up caricatures by Koraks and Petričić (both known critics of the Serbian regime) which are much worse; this is a photomontage from Twitter and I put it up.” Zekić’s work as a head of REM has been strongly criticised by a part of the CSOs and journalists’ associations for years. (Radio Free Europe (Serbian), 5 December 2023)
Interpol issues warrant for Kosovo Serb politician Radoičić. Nova.rs portal reporeted that Interpol had issued warrants for the arrest of former Serb List party official Milan Radoičić and 11 others involved in the September 24 Banjska armed attack in northern Kosovo. Nova.rs received confirmation of the warrants from Interpol which were issued through UNMIK because Kosovo is not a member of the international police organization. (Nova.rs (Serbian), 7 December 2023)
Serbia’s Security Intelligence Agency (BIA) gets a new acting chief. Serbian newspaper quoted unnamed security services sources who said high-ranking police officer Tomislav Radovanović had been named acting Director of the Security Intelligence Agency (BIA). He is known to the public as the police officer who spoke out about the alleged surveillance over President Aleksandar Vučić, a case which has never been resolved. Radovanović replaces Aleksandar Vulin, a close associate of President Vučić, who was blacklisted by the US Treasury Department recently. (Politika (Serbian), 7 December 2023)
Guns handed in by citizens at Niš police station gone missing. Sixty-three guns handed in by Serbian citizens at Niš police station during this year’s illegal weapons collection campaign went missing from July to August 2023. The campaign was launched in May after two mass murders in the country. (N1 Belgrade, 7 December 2023)