Protest, Police Belgrade (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)
The co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (CoE) for monitoring Serbia, Ian Liddell-Grainger and Piero Fassino, expressed serious concern on July 15 over the recent protests in Serbia and last week's violent clashes with the police, and urged Belgrade to implement "consistent sanitary policies" and adequate measures during the corona virus epidemic.
"Any such level of violence is unacceptable in a democracy. We urge the authorities to undertake a thorough investigation of the violent incidents that took place this week in Serbia and we call on all sides to show restraint," reads the statement of the co-rapporteurs.
They stated that "in these challenging times, when COVID-19 can trigger anxiety and pain in the population, the authorities are expected to provide transparent and reliable data on the crisis and to put forward consistent sanitary policies... while safeguarding democratic standards, including media freedom."
They added that "the ruling party, which now enjoys an overwhelming majority in parliament, has a special responsibility to find peaceful and inclusive ways to overcome these challenges."
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