BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — An alarming report issued by Amnesty International on Monday revealed that Serbia’s secret service and police have allegedly engaged in espionage activities targeting journalists and opposition activists. According to the watchdog’s findings, a spyware program was covertly installed on the mobile phones of individuals, allowing unauthorized access to their devices. This spy software reportedly enabled the perpetrators to unlock phones, capture screenshots without consent, and copy contact lists, subsequently uploading the stolen data to a server controlled by the government.
The report, titled “A Digital Prison: Surveillance and the Suppression of Civil Society in Serbia,” sheds light on the unsettling tactics employed by the Serbian police and the Security Information Agency (BIA) to infiltrate devices while individuals were in police custody or being questioned. Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for Europe, Dinushika Dissanayake, emphasized the implications of these actions, stating, “Our investigation reveals how Serbian authorities have deployed surveillance technology and digital repression tactics as instruments of wider state control and repression directed against civil society.”
In response to these serious allegations, the Serbian police remained silent, declining to provide a comment to The Associated Press. Conversely, Serbia’s spy agency defended its actions on its website, asserting that it operates within the confines of Serbian law. The BIA dismissed the claims made by Amnesty International as unfounded and chose not to engage in a direct response, aligning with its policy of refraining from commenting on such matters.
The release of the Amnesty report coincides with a period of heightened tension in Serbia, as President Aleksandar Vucic faces mounting challenges to his longstanding rule, characterized by increasing autocratic tendencies. Recent anti-government demonstrations, spearheaded by university students and opposition activists, have garnered attention as a response to a tragic incident at a railway station in northern Serbia. The collapse of a concrete canopy resulted in the loss of 15 lives on November 1, prompting widespread public outrage and calls for accountability.
Many Serbians attribute the disaster to systemic issues such as corruption and nepotism within government ranks, particularly concerning the oversight of infrastructure projects involving international partners like China. Vucic, however, has sought to deflect blame by accusing Western intelligence agencies, non-governmental organizations, and foreign media of orchestrating what he describes as a “hybrid warfare” against his administration and the country at large.
Amidst these turbulent events, the Belgrade Center for Security Policy, an NGO advocating for transparency and accountability, condemned the misuse of digital surveillance tools by state authorities. The organization demanded an impartial investigation into the allegations raised by Amnesty International, urging the prosecution of those responsible within the police and the Security and Information Agency. Highlighting the broader implications of such actions, the group underscored the threat posed to fundamental freedoms, including the rights to assembly, expression, and association.
Serbia’s pursuit of European Union membership has been juxtaposed with its strengthening ties to Russia and China, a strategic alignment that officials claim is aimed at countering
