More than 140 civil organisations, media and individuals have signed a petition against Serbia's Finance Ministry announced an investigation into their bank accounts, with the message that they would not give up the struggle for freedom and democracy in the country, the Beta news agency reported on Wednesday.

 The Finance Ministry Department for Preventing Money laundering and Financing Terrorism, demanded the banks provide financial data for 2019 for 20 people and 37 associations, NGOs and civil society organisation „to establish whether those organisations and individuals from the list are linked to financing terrorism or money laundering.“

The Civil Initiatives said that „media and civil society organisations demand the Department to urgently publish what the ground for the extraordinary move to collect bank information about the organisations, media and individuals was.

The article of the Law to which the Department’s dIrector referred to applies exclusively to the organisations suspected of financing terrorism.

„Since the list includes numerous organisations and reporters dealing with investigative journalism, the protection of human rights, transparency, film production, development of democracy, the rule of law, we conclude that it is a political abuse of the institutions and a dangerous sign of the further collapse of the rule of law in Serbia,“ the signatories warned.

They added that „the abuse of legal mechanisms and institutions in an illegal pressure on the media and civil society organisations is a drastic attack on freedom of association and freedom of information.“

„Serbia’s authorities have faced serious criticism both from local and international organisations regarding the violation of those two important freedoms,“ the signatories’ statement said.

„The organisations, media and people won’t give up their struggle for a free and democratic state, despite threats and pressures. Such a regime’s moves only additionally motivate us to persevere in defence of our country,“ the statement added.

It said the media and organisations would take „all adequate legal actions against those involved in this abuse, including criminal proceedings against the responsible, but will first insist on clear answers what has led to this situation.

The statement added that those listed by the Department had been subjected to regular and rigorous state control, including the inspections by tax authorities, National Bank, and the donors as well.

„We welcome any legal control of the work of those organisations and will always support it. On the other hand, we will vigorously resist the abuse of the institutions and procedures because that’s our mission – the struggle for the democratic and legal state,“ the statement said.