Parliamentary, presidential and local elections in Serbia will be held on Sunday 6 May 2012. The Norwegian Helsinki Committee has the pleasure to present human rights activist and leading international analyst on Serbian politics, Sonja Biserko, to a Norwegian audience just four days before the elections, to address some of the critical background questions and issues:

 

The electoral campaign: fair and clean? The rhetoric. The main contenders and their political programs.
The main issues: EU, economic crisis, unemployment crisis, identity politics and dealing with the past.
How has rights and dignity of minorities and vulnerable groups been respected in the campaign? Have their concerns been addressed and their voices been heard? How are relations between Belgrade and minority regions developing?
How have electoral preparations in Kosovo played out and influenced Belgrade-Prishtina relations?
Where will these elections take Serbia and the region?
It is said that civil society is in a crisis, what is the nature of the crisis? Will the media and civil society organizations be able to make their contributions towards more democracy, human rights, participation and public transparency?
 

 

Program

13.30-13.45 Welcome
Bjørn Engesland, Secretary-General, Norwegian Helsinki Committee

13.45-14.30 Main speaker
Sonja Biserko, Chairperson, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia

14.30-14.45 Panel
Jon Kværne, Balkans expert
Ole B. Lilleås, Senior Advisor, Norwegian Helsinki Committee

15.00-15.30 Questions from the floor

15.30 Summing up

 

Entrance is free.

Please register your participation to obl@nhc.no in advance or register on arrival.