Serbian authorities have been using sophisticated digital surveillance technology to spy on journalists and activists in the Balkan country, Amnesty International said in a report published Monday.
According to the report — “A Digital Prison” — Serbian authorities have deployed spyware that “provides Serbian authorities with extensive surveillance capabilities once installed on a target’s device”.
The report includes testimonies of a journalist and activist who accused authorities of covertly installing spyware on their devices while in custody and during an interview with officials.
“Our investigation reveals how Serbian authorities have deployed surveillance technology and digital repression tactics as instruments of wider state control and repression,” said Dinushika Dissanayake, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for Europe.
The report highlights the use of the Cellebrite and NoviSpy software and forensic tools to target phones and devices belonging to members of civil society.
NoviSpy can be used to remotely turn on a phone’s microphone or camera for recording and extracting sensitive personal data, according to Amnesty.
Cellebrite products are widely used by law enforcement agencies across the globe to unlock smartphones and search for evidence.
Belgrade-based youth activist Nikola Ristic — who was profiled by Amnesty in the report — told AFP his phone was hacked by authorities after being arrested at a protest in November over a deadly railway station roof collapse.
While in custody, Ristic said intelligence officials seized his phone and was repeatedly told to unlock the device.
“Their behavior and the conversation with me seemed like a charade, a cover for something else,” he told AFP, adding that he did not have any compromising evidence or material stored on the phone.
After being released, Ristic later handed over his phone to Amnesty.
After a forensic scan, it found that Cellebrite had been used to unlock the device and NoviSpy spyware had been installed.
“We don’t actually have agencies focused on the safety of citizens, but rather spy agencies,” Ristic told AFP.
Serbia’s intelligence agency (BIA) dismissed the Amnesty report’s claims as “absurd”.
In a separate statement, Serbian police said its forces only use forensic tools in accordance with the country’s laws.
According to Amnesty, Serbia received the phone unlocking software from Cellebrite as part of a broader package aimed at helping the country meet the requirements for European Union integration.
Independent journalists and civil society groups in Serbia have long accused the government and its allies of targeting them with defamatory statements, lawsuits and public threats.
Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION’s style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.