Skopje, 24 January 2025 (MIA) - The executive director of the Citizens' Association for Support of People with Disability SOLEM, Iskra Roso, a Macedonian national and a representative of the nongovernmental sector, was among the 13 foreign nationals detained by Serbian police and deported from the country during the night of January 21-22.

In a written statement for MIA, Roso said she was detained by police without any explanation on January 21 during her stay in Belgrade as part of a workshop on strategies for generating income for non-profit organizations. She later learned she was banned from entering the country for 12 months. 

“After returning to my hotel, I was detained by police and, alongside several other participants, taken to a police station without a clear explanation. I later learned that I was handed a 12-month ban on entry into Serbia, in accordance with article 78 of the Law on Foreigners. During the process, I did not receive an explanation for my detainment, which further increased our uncertainty and anxiety. However, I must note that the police in Belgrade were extremely professional. I have already submitted a request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Skopje asking for information on the reasons behind the entry ban, at the same time I am preparing an appeal to the decision,” Roso told MIA.

A total of 13 foreign nationals from Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Albania, Moldova, Romania, Austria and Czechia were detained and then expelled from the country on the night between January 21 and 22, according to reports from Balkan media outlets.

They were visiting the country to take part in a two-day workshop, named “NGO Academy”, organized by the Austrian Erste Foundation and the Vienna School of Economics.

After several hours in detention, the activists had to immediately leave the country. They were also banned from entering the country for a year. 

Mass protests against the Serbian President and Government have been taking place in Belgrade and the rest of the country following the collapse of a train station roof in Novi Sad in November which killed 15 people. Protesting students and citizens called for a general strike, or "general civil disobedience", to be held in the country on Friday.

Photo: Iskra Roso