Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung has described political scientist Florian Bieber as one of the most prominent targets of Serbia's political leadership, arguing that the authorities increasingly portray independent critics as enemies rather than engage with their arguments.
Oglas
Bieber, a professor at the University of Graz and director of its Centre for Southeast European Studies, has spent decades researching politics, nationalism and democratisation in the Western Balkans.
According to the Graz-based newspaper, Serbian government officials have labelled the 53-year-old academic an "Albanian lobbyist", a propagandist and a person unwelcome across the Balkans.
"The government in Belgrade is not democratic. The government in Serbia is autocratic," Bieber told Kleine Zeitung.
The newspaper argues that the treatment of Bieber reflects a broader political culture associated with former Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, in which critics are frequently portrayed as political enemies.
It describes a media environment increasingly dominated by pro-government coverage during Vučić's years in power, with limited space for critical voices on television channels broadcasting nationwide.
Bieber also spoke about intimidation faced by academics in Serbia, including incidents in which researchers' vehicles have been damaged.
Kleine Zeitung acknowledged that responsibility for such incidents cannot be conclusively attributed to the authorities. However, it drew attention to alleged connections between violent football hooligan groups and figures close to political power.
Bieber does not regard himself as an opponent of Serbia. Rather, he sees his work as an effort to understand and explain political developments in a region he has studied for approximately three decades.
"My interest in the Balkans developed during the wars in the former Yugoslavia. I simply wanted to understand how it was possible for war to break out in Europe again," he told the newspaper.
He described following developments in Serbia as sometimes depressing, sobering and exhausting.
In Bieber's assessment, the absence of meaningful political reforms, combined with economic stability and increasing repression, has helped sustain the country's political system.
The political scientist is preparing to travel to Serbia to observe the October 25 parliamentary elections but acknowledged uncertainty over whether the authorities would permit him to enter.
"Of course, there is a possibility that they simply won't let me in," he said.
According to Kleine Zeitung, Bieber discussed that possibility without apparent fear or resentment, approaching it instead as another issue for political analysis.
Teme