WORLD REFUGEE DAY STATEMENT/SAOPŠTENJE ZA JAVNOST POVODOM SVETSKOG DANA IZBEGLICA

World Refugee Day, marked annually on June 20, is a moment to reaffirm our solidarity with millions of people worldwide who have been forced to flee war, persecution, and systemic violence. At a time when the global number of refugees has reached a record high — with more than 120 million people forcibly displaced, according to UNHCR — we call on states to uphold the fundamental human rights of refugees and guarantee access to international protection.

This day is also a reminder of the more than 200,000 refugees and internally displaced persons from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo who continue to seek durable solutions and the realization of their rights in Serbia.

In the context of Serbia and the wider Western Balkans region, refugees and migrants traveling along the so-called Balkan route face multiple forms of violence, unlawful expulsions (pushbacks), and systemic barriers to accessing asylum. Throughout 2024 and the first months of 2025, collective expulsions have continued along the borders with Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Greece. Frontex and national border services often conduct operations involving violence, denial of access to asylum procedures, and the confiscation of refugees’ personal belongings.

Although Serbia formally guarantees the right to asylum, refugee status is rarely granted in practice. In 2024, only 7 people were granted asylum or subsidiary protection in Serbia, while thousands remained uninformed of their rights and without effective access to institutions. There is still no proactive system to inform people on the move about the asylum procedure, and most applicants abandon the process due to its length, inefficiency, and unreliability. At the same time, people on the move face further victimization as they are increasingly exposed to human trafficking and violence from smuggling networks.

On this occasion, we call on the institutions of the Republic of Serbia to:

• ensure effective access to asylum for all those in need of international protection;

• guarantee the humane and dignified treatment of all people on the move, in accordance with the international conventions ratified by Serbia.

On World Refugee Day, we remind the public that the right to asylum is not a privilege, but a fundamental human right.

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Na Svetski dan izbeglica, koji se svake godine obeležava 20. juna, izražavamo solidarnost sa milionima ljudi širom sveta koji su primorani da napuste svoje domove zbog rata, progona i sistemskog nasilja. U vremenu kada je broj izbeglica na globalnom nivou dosegao rekordne razmere – prema podacima UNHCR-a, preko 120 miliona ljudi nalazi se u prinudnom raseljenju – podsećamo na obavezu država da poštuju osnovna ljudska prava izbeglica i garantuju pristup međunarodnoj zaštiti.
Ovaj dan je i podsetnik na više od 200.000 izbeglica i interno raseljenih lica iz Hrvatske, Bosne i Hercegovine i sa Kosova, koji i danas u Srbiji traže trajna rešenja i ostvarenje svojih prava.

U kontekstu Srbije i šireg regiona Zapadnog Balkana, izbeglice i migranti koji se kreću tzv. Balkanskom rutom suočeni su sa brojnim oblicima nasilja, nezakonitih proterivanja (pushbackova) i sistemskih prepreka u ostvarivanju prava na azil. Tokom 2024. i u prvim mesecima 2025. godine zabeležen je nastavak prakse kolektivnog proterivanja duž granica sa Mađarskom, Hrvatskom, Bugarskom i Grčkom. Fronteks i nacionalne granične službe često sprovode operacije koje uključuju nasilje, uskraćivanje pristupa procedurama i konfiskaciju ličnih stvari izbeglica.

Srbija, iako formalno garantuje pravo na azil, u praksi retko priznaje status izbeglice. Tokom 2024. godine, svega 7 osoba dobilo je azil ili supsidijarnu zaštitu u Srbiji, dok su hiljade ostale bez informacija o svojim pravima i bez efektivnog pristupa institucijama. I dalje ne postoji proaktivan sistem informisanja ljudi u pokretu o azilnoj proceduri, a većina tražilaca azila napušta proceduru usled dugotrajnosti, neefikasnosti i nepouzdanih uslova. Istovremeno, ljudi u pokretu su izloženi dodatnoj viktimizaciji time što su u sve većem riziku od trgovine ljudima i nasilja od strane krijumčarskih mreža.

Povodom ovog dana, pozivamo institucije Republike Srbije da:

• obezbede efikasan pristup azilu za sve koji su u potrebi za međunarodnom zaštitom;

• garantuju human i dostojanstven tretman svih ljudi u pokretu, u skladu sa međunarodnim konvencijama koje je Srbija ratifikovala.

Na Svetski dan izbeglica podsećamo da pravo na azil nije privilegija, već osnovno ljudsko pravo.