Country Report on Terrorism 2023 - Chapter 1 - Serbia

Overview:  With no terrorist attacks in 2023, the main concerns in Serbia were bomb threats, self-radicalization, and the movement of migrants, money, and weapons.  Serbia continued efforts to counter terrorism and terrorism financing.  The country has yet to resume security exercises with international partners, including CT training with the United States, since a 2022 suspension following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

2023 Terrorist Incidents:  There were no reported incidents in 2023.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security:  There were no significant changes in 2023.  The Ministry of Interior’s (MOI’s) CT Service works on detection and deterrence and includes a Department for Preventing and Combating Extremism.  Serbia criminalizes terrorism-related offenses such as recruitment, incitement, and financing, although gaps remain in the legislation.  The Criminal Code allows for life imprisonment for terrorist acts if the offender kills one or more persons with intent.

Serbia has convicted seven of the 10 Serbian FTFs, some in absentia, who returned from Syria or Iraq, for terrorist-related activities, with sentences of up to 11 years. There were no new convictions of such FTFs in 2023.

There are approximately three detained and 10 displaced Serbian nationals remaining in northeast Syria.  By the end of 2023, Serbia had not conducted any repatriations.  Serbia has established reintegration teams and adopted an associated action plan to receive repatriates eventually, but the government has not indicated it plans to repatriate FTFs or their associated family members.

Although UNSCR 2396 contains obligations for member states to develop Passenger Name Record (PNR) screening systems, Advance Passenger Information and PNR programs were not in place.  Data that Serbian airlines are required to transmit is handled by third-party services.  Serbia pledged in the 2020 “Washington Commitments” to implement information sharing agreements with the United States and to strengthen screening.  Serbia is integrating with the European Common Aviation Area and cooperates with international partners in accordance with UNSCR 2309.

The Washington Commitments, signed in 2020, committed Serbia to designate Hizballah in its entirety as a foreign terrorist organization and restrict its operations and financial activities.  Serbia had not formally made this designation or implemented measures, even as it reported that it adheres to UN designations.

There was no change to how courts address terrorism.  The Belgrade Higher Court’s Department for Organized Crime hears cases, the Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office (OCPO) prosecutes them, and the Belgrade Appellate Court’s Department for Organized Crime hears appeals.

Serbia’s CT Operational Working Group consists of the MOI, OCPO, and the Security and Intelligence Service.  Soft targets must have terrorism contingency plans, with MOI consultation and oversight.  The MOI’s Special Antiterrorist Unit and Ministry of Defense Military Police CT units provide tactical response.

The country’s 2022 suspension of tactical exercises with international partners – including tactical CT training with the United States – following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine remained in place in 2023.

The Border Police’s System to Check Persons and Vehicles (SZPLIV) screens passengers and vehicles at border crossings and ports of entry.  SZPLIV verifies travel documents, collects biographic and biometric data, and searches national and international databases.  However, data transmission to the central system can take days.

Illegal migration, including the alleged involvement of “extremist” and organized criminal groups, presents a challenge to Serbian law enforcement and border security.

There were no terrorist attacks by REMVE groups, although such groups – notably groups linked to organized crime and pro-Russia groups – were active and have committed violent acts.

Countering the Financing of Terrorism:  Serbia is a member of MONEYVAL (the Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism) and an observer in the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism.  Its Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering (APML), is a member of the Egmont Group.

In 2023 the CT Service conducted financial transactions checks of 72 individuals and two associations related to 32 cases, and the APML provided intelligence to the CT Service on eight occasions.  The APML flagged transfers by designated nationals to FIUs in other countries.  There were no significant changes in 2023.

Countering Violent Extremism:  The government has not adopted a new National Strategy for the Prevention and Countering of Terrorism since the previous strategy expired in 2021.  Serbia has a National Coordinating Body for the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism.  Serbia has conducted trainings for teams of police, psychologists, and social workers that address deradicalization from violence and reintegration.  The municipalities of Bujanovac, Novi Pazar, Presevo, and Tutin are in the Strong Cities Network.

In May a person was arrested for “public incitement to commit acts of terrorism,” after calling for jihad and glorifying terrorist attacks on social media channels.

International and Regional Cooperation:  Serbia engages in international cooperation, including with INTERPOL and Europol on watchlists, and maintains border security mechanisms with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, and Romania.  Serbia cooperates bilaterally with Albania, North Macedonia, and Montenegro on border security.  Serbia cooperated with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime for arms control, illicit finance/anti-money laundering, and border security programs that bolstered CT efforts.  The OSCE supported Serbia’s CT efforts, including to enhance border security, and to prevent CVE and terrorist recruitment.  Serbia is a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.