Freedom House: Serbia has regressed from group of free countries to those that are partially free

Serbia has lost its status as a free country and now finds itself among partially free countries, due to the ever-worsening conditions under which elections are being conducted, but also as a result of attacks on independent journalists, according to the latest report of U.S.-based organisation Freedom House, entitled “Freedom in the World 2019”.

According to this report, Serbia is ranked fourth on the list of countries that have experienced the greatest regressions in its state of democracy, behind Nicaragua, Tanzania and Venezuela.

Serbia’s status has worsened due to the way elections are conducted, but also because attacks against independent journalists by the government and pro-government media are continuing. Freedom House states that dirty campaigns and abuse of state institutions are being used to settle accounts with independent media outlets.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić said that the Freedom House report is relevant to her, but that she disagrees with its findings.

“I absolutely don’t think and don’t feel like I live in a partially free country, rather I think that I live in a country that’s freer than it was a few years ago,” said PM Brnabić.