Freedom House report cites digital suppression of protests in Serbia

A new report by Freedom House indicates that global internet freedom has declined for the sixteenth consecutive year. The organization highlights how authoritarian governments are increasingly using internet restrictions, the misuse of digital laws, and artificial intelligence to create obstacles to freedom of expression and access to information.

In Serbia, the report notes that authorities have harshly suppressed protests, many of which were organized using digital tools. These protests were notably led by students following a 2024 incident involving the collapse of a concrete shelter at a railway station that resulted in 16 deaths.

Freedom House classifies Serbia as a ‘partially free’ country regarding internet freedom, a status it has maintained since 2024. Kian Vesteinsson, the report's author, stated that authoritarian regimes are transforming the internet into a system of control, while Executive Director Jamie Fly warned that authoritarian actors are now using artificial intelligence as a weapon.