Freedom House: SNS erodes political, civil liberties in Serbia

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Serbia and the US are among 25 world countries where political and civil liberties record the most significant fall in the last decade, the Freedom House (FH) report 'Freedom in the World 2021 – Democracy Under Siege' said on Wednesday.

It added it found „that the annual gap between losses and gains widened in 2020, and fewer than a fifth of the world’s people now live in fully free countries.“

The report covers 195 state and 15 territories and records the 15-year-long global fall in political and civil liberties.

According to the report, Serbia scored 64 index points in 2020, two down from the last year. That means that since 2010, Serbia fell for a total of 14 points and the country was categorised the ‘partly free,’ the Voice of America (VOA) said.

At the same time, VOA added, the US has gone down 11 index points but is still categorised as a free country,

Besides Serbia, the other countries from the Western Balkans: Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and North Macedonia are also in the ‘partly free’ category.

Slovenia and Croatia, members of the European Union, are seen as free countries.

„Serbia is a parliamentary democracy with competitive multiparty elections, but in recent years the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has steadily eroded political rights and civil liberties, putting pressure on independent media, the political opposition, and civil society organisations. Despite these trends, the country has continued to move toward membership in the EU,“ the report said.

For the full Freedom House report, click here.