Serbia - 9.1-Political & Security EnvironmentSerbia - Political Environment

Since October 2000, Serbia has had democratically elected governments that have committed publicly to supporting regional stability and security. The run-up to the April 2016 snap parliamentary elections did not include appreciable political tensions or threats of politically motivated violence, including in the southwest Sandzak region or south Serbia. In the Sandzak region, tensions occasionally have led to localized violence between competing political groups. This violence usually is directed at opposing party figures and has not targeted unrelated civilians or businesses. The national government has pledged to continue previous governments’ notable efforts to combat organized crime and corruption, and continues to make high-profile arrests and launch new investigations. There were large protests following the illegal demolition in April 2016 of residential buildings in Belgrade’s Savamala district, but these were not violent.

Immediately following Kosovo’s February 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia, groups twice broke away from larger demonstrations and attacked embassies of countries that had recognized Kosovo, including the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade. Since these attacks, there have been no major violent incidents in Serbia related to Kosovo.

The 2010 LGBT Pride Parade in Belgrade was marred by significant and widespread violence. The Serbian government cancelled the subsequent three Pride Parades at the last minute, ostensibly because of threats of violence by the same nationalist and extremist groups that attempted to disrupt the 2010 parade. In 2014-2016, the government allowed Pride Parades to take place in central Belgrade, under heavy police protection but without incident.

Sports hooliganism in Serbia frequently is linked to organized crime. There has been no serious ultra-nationalist, sports-related violence since January 2012. Violent hooliganism is a concern at matches of rival soccer teams within Serbia.

A number of ultra-nationalist organizations, such as “Obraz” and “Nasi,” are active in Serbia. In 2013, these organizations continued activities targeting certain Serbian political leaders, local NGOs, and media outlets alleged to be “pro-Western.” Their calls for action against their targets, however, have not resulted in any violent incidents. While no far-right parties won seats in the 2014 parliamentary elections, two passed the five-percent threshold for parliamentary representation in 2016 – the Serbian Radical Party and Dveri.