Serbia's Crisis: The View from a Dissenting Judge, Miodrag Majić

On Thursday, March 13, 2025, FPI Senior Fellow Edward P. Joseph and SAIS Students Kaja Burja and Matej Sekulić sat down with Miodrag Majić, J.S.D., a judge at the Court of Appeals in Belgrade and the Vice-president of the War Crimes Department of the Court, to discuss Serbia’s on-going political crisis.

From student-led demonstrations and strikes to smoke bombs in Parliament, Serbia has been in acute crisis for almost five months. The tragic train station roof collapse in Novi Sad on 1 November has revealed a society yearning for change. But what kind of change and through what means? What is the accountability that Serbian citizens are demanding? Where is the rule of law? Can Serbia overcome anti-democratic trends in Europe and across the globe?

You can watch our video of that discussion, livestreamed to audiences in the United States and Europe, and read a summary of the judge’s remarks below.

The meeting with Judge Majić highlighted the growing instability in Serbia, marked by democratic backsliding, corruption, and a potential escalation of conflict. While Serbia is formally progressing toward the EU, its governance under President Vučić has become increasingly autocratic, relying on a system of “stabilocracy”—prioritizing perceived regional stability over the rule of law.

The recent train station tragedy in Serbia’s northern city of Novi Sad exposed deep-seated government corruption, proving that weak institutions and unchecked power have real life-threatening consequences. Although Vučić claims that protestors' demands have been met, no real investigations into bribery and corruption have taken place. The government is deliberately fragmenting the prosecution process to control the case and suppress the truth.

Majić emphasized the erosion of Serbia’s institutions, with judges and independent voices being targeted as traitors for challenging the regime. The country’s judiciary is manipulated to protect those in power, making real accountability impossible. This has fueled widespread protests, which emerged organically rather than as a product of external influence.

With elections compromised by electoral fraud, a democratic resolution seems unlikely. Proposals for a transitional government, akin to Macedonia’s model, aim to restore fairness, but Vučić has firmly rejected this idea. Meanwhile, Serbia’s deals with China, particularly in infrastructure projects, raise questions about financial misconduct, with major contracts shrouded in secrecy.

Majić warned that the EU and international actors have largely tolerated Vučić’s regime, misjudging the region’s trajectory. As Serbia inches closer to a political breaking point, the world must reconsider its stance before the situation escalates beyond control.