Serbentarium

The founder of the anti -war Russian democratic society was not allowed into Serbia by decision of the security agency. The head of this department himself fell under US sanctions

Anti -war activist Peter Nikitin returned to Serbia after a week of vacation in Portugal. Border guards for three and a half hours held Nikitin in the arrival zone and waited for information from the Safety and Information Agency of Serbia (BIA). As a result, the activist was awarded a decision on the ban on entry into Serbia. This is the first such case, which is known at the moment.

“The reason for the refusal of entry was not announced to me. I was asked to sit on the first plane in Frankfurt because I flew out of Frankfurt, ”the activist said in a conversation from Novo-Europe.

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Now Nikitin is located at the Belgrade airport, is negotiating with a lawyer and refuses to leave the country: “I’m going to be here until they force me or let me go,” said Nikitin.

The activist has been living in Serbia since 2016. He has a double Russian-Niderland citizenship and a permanent Serbian residence permit obtained on the basis of marriage with a citizen of Serbia. His children live in the same country.

In the fall of 2022, Nikitin founded in Belgrade the Russian Democratic Society - the anti -war initiative of Russians who emigrated to Serbia after February 24, 2022. RDO volunteers regularly carry out anti-war promotions, arrange events in support of Russian political prisoners and collect humans to the victims of Ukrainians because of the war.

“The only thing that [the ban on entry] can be explained is my anti -war activism in Serbia, the organization of protests and so on”,

- adds Nikitin.

Nikitin flew to Belgrade at the Dutch passport. In October 2022, he flew to Israel, he had no problems with entering Serbia then. According to the activist, he did not encounter pressure from the Serbian authorities earlier: “The shares were always held under the supervision of the police, they worked with the police, law enforcement officers did their job very professionally.”

However, one of the activists of the RDO (wished to remain unnamed, the name is known to the editorial office) told Novy-Europe that before the shares on February 24, 2023 there were rather serious problems. Our interlocutor refused to reveal the details. On the eve of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a message appeared about the change in the “format of events” associated with the RDO “anti -war Serbia”:

“The police informed us that due to the difficult domestic political situation on February 23–27, mass street performances of the radicals are expected in Belgrade, which may be accompanied by violence <...>. The police convinced us not to hold a procession in Belgrade on the evening of February 24, citing the fact that they would be overloaded these days. ”

As a result, activists canceled the procession and celebrated the anniversary of the war with a “rally of memory”. No radicals on the streets of Belgrade were noticed in those days.

In the RDO, it is believed that the situation with Nikitin is either a misunderstanding or a flagrant case of restricting human rights. “We will seek from the authorities of Serbia explanations and the grounds for the legality of such a decision,” the volunteers said.

In another Serbian anti-war initiative-RUBS (Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians and Serbs against the war)-also believe that problems with the authorities with Nikitin's authorities arose due to anti-war shares.

“This is a dangerous precedent, since from today any activist who does not meet the standards of the Serbia authorities can be deprived of human rights guaranteed by the constitution and laws, without explaining reasons,” the Association said for the local channel N1.

RUBS also reminded that on the eve of the head of BIA, Aleksandar Vulin, was on the sanctions list of the US Department of Finance. The American authorities believe that Vulin took part in transnational organized crime and helped Russia destabilize the situation in the Western Balkans, thereby threatening the security of the region. Many media and experts agree that Vulin occupies a pro -Russian position and supports Putin's regime.

“It was this person that forbade a citizen of Serbian descent to Serbia last night,” RUBS said.

Author: Dimitar Belyavich