International Human Rights Day is observed every December 10th, the day when the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. This day serves as an opportunity to reflect and remind ourselves of the inalienable rights of every human being, while comparing this document to our everyday reality.
Human rights cannot exist without democracy. For the promotion and protection of
human rights, democracy is essential, with all its components: the rule of law, strong
institutions, an independent judiciary… And, logically, engaged citizens are necessary,
as democracy expects a great deal from them. It expects them to be politically literate, well-informed, and to actively participate in social and political processes. However, the most important task for every citizen is to defend democracy when it is under threat.
For a long time, the majority of the citizens of Serbia have silently watched how, albeit
modestly, the democracy established after the October 5th changes has been gradually fading away. As democracy and its components began to wither, so did human rights.
The regime systematically took away one right after another, either by denying or
abolishing them in one way or another.
The Declaration states that everyone has the right to participate in the governance of
their country. This was one of the first rights that citizens lost. The current government
believes that only it has the right to govern the country, while everyone else is labeled
as traitors, foreign agents, criminals, and thieves. Every criticism was met with attacks
and insults, effectively stripping citizens of their country.
The Declaration also states that everyone has the right to a standard of living that
ensures the health and well-being of the individual and their family. However, the
concept of a dignified life has become almost unknown in Serbia. Similarly, for many,
fair and satisfactory working conditions are a dream unfulfilled. Judging by the practices in some foreign-owned factories, slavery in practice still has not been abolished in Serbia. Arbitrary arrests and detentions are not uncommon.
As in Martin Niemöller’s poem, they came to take away one right after another, and the citizens remained silent. In the end, even the right to life was put into question.
Corruption, negligence, and arrogance cost 15 people their lives.
In that moment, students understood what needed to be done—they realized what
democracy requires of its citizens. Universities and rectorships were blocked, and we
recently witnessed a protest that, according to some estimates, was larger than the one on October 5th. The students understood that no one will protect our rights except
ourselves, and that only engaged citizens who are willing to stand in defense of
democracy have anything to hope for. It seems that the rest of society is slowly
beginning to realize this as well. Had the government officials, by any chance, read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—even just the preamble—they would know that “it is important that human rights be protected by the legal system, so that people are not forced to resort to rebellion against tyranny and oppression as a last resort.” Perhaps then Prime Minister Vučević would not be asking what exactly the students’ demands are.
Branimir Djurovic
Researcher at the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Serbia
