Serbia accused of pressuring critics with bank probe

BELGRADE: Serbian journalists and rights activists accused the government Tuesday of trying to intimidate critics after the finance ministry demanded details of their bank accounts in a money laundering probe.

The ministry has requested information about bank transactions from the start of 2019 for nearly 60 investigative journalists and NGOs known for their work on human rights, transparency and exposing corruption, according to a list published by the the local Newsmax Adria TV channel.

The official who heads the anti-money laundering unit, Zeljko Radovanovic, insisted there was "no discrimination" and the requests were standard procedure.

"We need to check if there are donors, or if there are any donors that carry a certain amount of risk," he said.

But those on the list pointed out that it focused almost entirely on government critics.

Under the tight grip of President Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia has been accused by rights groups of increasing authoritarianism, and suppressing critical voices through financial pressure and other forms of intimidation.

The probe is "criminalising those who investigate crime", said Slobodan Georgiev, head of Newsmax Adria TV, who was listed alongside prominent NGOs such as the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, two major journalist associations and opposition politician Vuk Jeremic.

"It is yet another indicator of deteriorating democratic values in Serbia", Georgiev told AFP.

Biljana Stepanovic, editor-in-chief of Nova Ekonomija magazine who is also on the list, denounced the move as an abuse of state power.

The probe also raised concern in the EU, where MEP Tanja Fajon noted that many of those named were "among primary advocates of pro-EU reforms and supporters of EU values in Serbia.

"Any unjustified investigation into their work should be regarded as pressure", wrote Fajon, who chairs a parliament committee on EU relations with Serbia, which is trying to join the bloc.

The EU mission in Serbia added in a statement that NGOs and media have a "key role in Serbian society" and said "unjustified investigations should not be conducted".