The Belgrade Center for Human Rights (BCHR) said on Friday that there was no progress on human rights in Serbia in 2022.

“The authorities’ political octopus has spread its tentacles to every pore of society,” BCHR Executive Director Sonja Toskovic told a presentation of the report on human rights in 2022. She said that anyone who raises their voice to draw attention to problems is targeted.

According to her, the data collected for the report shows that rights “are in the dark, in a tunnel”, especially in terms of freedom of expression and the media and the rights of marginalized groups.

Report editor Dusan Pokusevski said he can’t single out any right that is jeopardized more than others. He said that Serbian society is highly polarized. He added that protests were staged because the public could not realize their rights through institutions. Pokusevski warned of SLAPP suits against journalists and media outlets.