Key facts
- Activist Marko Marjanovic was detained and beaten by police.
- President Aleksandar Vucic faces growing opposition ahead of the October 25 election.
- Serbia's press freedom ranking is at its lowest ever.
- Journalists report facing threats and cyberattacks.
- Protesters allege systemic police brutality and torture.
Serbian activist Marko Marjanovic described being bundled into a car by masked officers and held in a police station basement for two days, an experience he attributes to a campaign to silence him as President Aleksandar Vucic seeks to extend his 12-year rule. Marjanovic, a vocal critic of Vucic, has also faced social media bans and alleged police beatings. Interviews with activists, protesters, and opposition politicians paint a picture of an increasingly authoritarian Serbia, with waning press freedoms and rising corruption, ahead of the October 25 election.
The student-led protest movement, which gained momentum after a 2024 train station collapse that killed 16 people, is fielding 250 candidates and is polling neck and neck with Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). Dragan Popovic, head of the Center for Practical Politics, noted the growing organization of the pro-democratic side and stated that pressure increases as Vucic feels more threatened.
Serbia's press freedom has declined, with Reporters Without Borders ranking it 104th out of 180 countries in 2026, the worst in the EU-Balkan region. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index showed Serbia's score at a two-decade low. According to RSF, six Serbian journalists have fled the country due to threats, and Vucic has verbally attacked media outlets at least 182 times this year. Veran Matic, who runs a commission for journalist safety, reported being attacked and having his phone stolen while filming a protest, blaming Vucic for singling him out for criticism.
Members of the student movement and other adversaries of Vucic have also been targeted with advanced spyware, according to watchdogs. Jelena Kontic confirmed her phone may have been infected with Pegasus spyware, granting access to her personal life. Two Serbian opposition figures were also recently targeted with similar tools. The Interior Ministry and the Security Information Agency have dismissed these allegations. Protesters also allege that police have used excessive force, with Dusan Radovic recounting being beaten by officers with batons during a protest in Valjevo last August. A verified video captures the incident, and a forensic report described the injuries as a systemic pattern of punitive police brutality and torture.