Specific cases of attacks on Croatian nationals and Serbian citizens with dual citizenship have been mapped in the YIHR’s new report Dossier: Croatia. Coordinated Hate. Human Rights Violations Against Croatian Citizens and the Promotion of Hatred During the Political Crisis in Serbia (December 2024 – February 2025). YIHR has mapped five of the most indicative cases of human rights violations and analyzed over 20 discriminatory statements by high-ranking officials of the Republic of Serbia, pro-government media, and politicians close to the regime.
The report deconstructs media spin regarding the “Blockade Cookbook,” specifically the narrative of “interference” by official Croatia and its citizens in the student protests and blockades in Serbia, and provides an overview of false accusations that Croatian students who were in Belgrade in late December were members of the Croatian Security and Intelligence Agency. Special focus is given to several cases: targeting students in the blockade – the Stojaković brothers from the Faculty of Organizational Sciences – because they hold Croatian citizenship; the publication of personal data and passport photos of several Croatian citizens by convicted war criminal Vojislav Šešelj; as well as the expulsion of 13 foreign nationals from Serbia who participated in the Erste Foundation program in Belgrade.
In the interest of good neighborly relations and taking responsibility for the words spoken, the highest representatives of the executive and legislative authorities in Serbia should apologize to foreign nationals, as well as to citizens of Serbia who also hold Croatian citizenship, for slander and accusations that they are “spies of the Croatian intelligence service.” The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Supreme Public Prosecution Office must promptly determine how individuals and media outlets obtained personal documents of foreign nationals residing in Serbia, prosecute those responsible, and inform the public about the findings. The Commissioner for Protection of Equality, The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, and the Ombudsman must take immediate action to ensure compliance with the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination, the Law on Personal Data Protection, and the Law on the Protector of Citizens.
Failure to prosecute these attacks will further hinder Serbia’s accession to the European Union (EU), given that EU institutions and officials have repeatedly condemned the illegal arrests and expulsions of citizens from EU member states and the public release of personal data. By acting, Serbian institutions would provide the minimum guarantees that these and similar human rights violations against Croatian citizens and Serbian citizens with Croatian citizenship will be an incident, not the norm, in the future.
The report is available at this link.
