News
Open Letter: Serbian authorities must prosecute illegal hacking of journalists and activists
Today, 19 December, European Digital Rights (EDRi) and 50 organisations urge the European Union’s institutions to take action to stop the Serbian authorities’ illegal use of spyware to target journalists, activists, and members of civil society.
On 16 December, Amnesty International released a report exposing widespread abuses by the Serbian police and Security Information Agency (BIA) through the use of spyware such as NoviSpy. Activists, journalists, and civil society members were targeted, with their phones infected during interrogations or when confiscated. These actions flagrantly violate Serbian laws and fundamental rights.
This scandal is happening in parallel with the general deterioration of the human rights situation and rule of law in Serbia. Journalists, activists, and civil society members face increasing arrests, intimidation, and repression, further threatening fundamental freedoms.
We therefore call upon the European Union institutions to:
- Urge the Serbian Government to adhere to its own legal framework and immediately cease the illegal use of NoviSpy and other spyware, which disproportionately interferes with fundamental rights, and for which there are no adequate safeguards to prevent and redress harms to human rights.
- Urge the Serbian Authorities to halt the crackdown on civil rights and liberties, including arrests and intimidation of journalists, activists and protestors.
- Urge the Special prosecutor’s office for High Tech crimes to investigate the circumstances under which spyware was used against activists in Serbia, and to make sure that remedies are available and accessible for victims, including guarantees of and protection against repetition.
- Urge Serbian independent institutions (Ombudsman and Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection) to investigate the circumstances under which spyware was used against activists in Serbia.
Related content
Citizens’ Nightmare: A Manual for Understanding Spyware
In recent years, spyware has emerged as one of the gravest threats to human rights and a central instrument of repression and social control. Intrusive by design, it operates silently in the background, stripping away what should be every person’s safest sanctuary – privacy. At first glance, its use can appear justified – safeguarding national […]
29. September, 2025.
Open Letter: Facebook’s End-to-End Encryption Plans
4 October 2019 Dear Mr. Zuckerberg, The organizations below write today to encourage you, in no uncertain terms, to continue increasing the end-to-end security across Facebook’s messaging services. We have seen requests from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australian governments asking you to suspend these plans “until [Facebook] can guarantee the added privacy does not reduce […]
7. October, 2019.
Organisations from across Europe insist on a transparent appointment of the Commissioner in Serbia
Today, on 4 December, eight digital rights organisations from across Europe sent a letter to the National Assembly of Serbia, asking for a transparent process of the selection of the country’s new Data Protection Commissioner. The mandate of the current Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection of Serbia is to expire soon, and given […]
4. December, 2018.