Dear Ms. Kos,
Yesterday you published a letter stating that you have recently received several letters from representatives of the academic community, politicians and civil society organizations expressing concern about the current situation in Serbia, and that this prompted you to respond to those concerns and express the position of the European Union.
You did so publicly, with a joint response to all who addressed you. We believe that this gives us the right to respond to you in the same way.
What you refer to as “the current situation in Serbia” is an unprecedented constitutional, political and security crisis that has been acute for the past three months – since the death of fifteen of our fellow citizens under tons of concrete of a public building, the reconstruction of which was financed with public money and which was opened twice by the highest state officials.
We believe that, due to the nature of your work, it was not necessary for you to receive letters from Serbia to be informed about the situation. It would have been enough for you, as Commissioner for Enlargement of the European Union, to follow the reports on what was happening in one of the candidate countries.
Still, the timing of your reaction is not the biggest problem, but what your reaction refers to. You say that you believe that “freedom of assembly is a fundamental right that must be respected” and that “it must be exercised peacefully and in accordance with the law.” I am certain that the citizens of Serbia know this even without your letter. The freedom of peaceful assembly is our constitutional right, and that is why tens of thousands of us are on the streets every day, with many on strike at the same time (such as teachers and lawyers).
You say that “incidents against demonstrators have been recorded”, adding that “no violence must be tolerated”. What you call incidents is too mild a term for serious physical injuries not only to protesters, but to those who are perceived as political enemies by the holders of executive power. The latest in a series of attacks was carried out on the street, not within a rally, on the night between January 27 and 28 by four men who came out of the premises of the ruling party (SNS). They beat a student of the University of Novi Sad with baseball bats, inflicting serious physical injuries. After that, the Prime Minister of Serbia, Miloš Vučević, resigned, admitting that the attack was carried out from the party’s premises.
Therefore, the problem is not a “lack of mutual respect” as you said, but rather the brutal violence that one party, the ruling party in Serbia, inflicts on its citizens.
It is incredible that, in your letter, you forgot to refer to what causes citizens to suffer such severe violence. This, Ms. Kos, is happening because the citizens are calling for the criminal accountability of all state bodies and individuals from the executive branch who allowed illegal construction works and the illegal commissioning of an unsafe facility that has all the hallmarks of state-wide corruption, and which killed citizens who naively trusted the authorities that they were safe in public spaces.
Ever since, no one feels safe in Serbia. Projects like the reconstruction of the Railway Station are all around us, and many more similar are planned.
That should have been the subject of your letter. Reminding the Republic of Serbia that it is obliged to protect the right to life of every citizen, both preventively and through a comprehensive investigation into lost lives. No matter where that investigation may lead.
Since you lacked the strength to respond to the cry of the citizens of Serbia by calling for the control of other infrastructure projects and a comprehensive investigation in the case of the canopy, the letter from yesterday feels even worse than the Commission’s three-month silence.
Especially since your letter calls for an inclusive dialogue involving all stakeholders, political actors, institutions and members of civil society to address reforms that are necessary for the European future of Serbia. You may not understand or do not want to understand that the citizens of Serbia do not want to negotiate implementation of the law. They want the accountability of the highest state authorities for the death of citizens. They want the prosecution and the judiciary to do their job. There can be no dialogue about it, there can only be an effective investigation.
Finally, I believe you are aware that Europol, the European agency for the fight against serious organized crime, has repeatedly provided the Republic of Serbia with information on the connection of the top state officials with organized crime. The latest report by investigative journalists points to the connection of the still acting Prime Minister of Serbia, Miloš Vučević, with such structures. That report was based on data from Europol, which – I am sure – is trusted by both European institutions and you personally.
This is precisely why the public and citizens of Serbia do not expect the European Commission to force them into a dialogue with their abusers. We expect help in breaking ties between organized crime and state authorities. If we can’t get such help, then empty words and late letters mean nothing to us, now or in the future.
Respectfully,
Sofija Mandić
Citizen of Serbia
Translated by Marijana Simić
Peščanik.net, 07.02.2025.
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