The „Jadar“ project and the persecution of locals and activists

Category: Land, water and workers

Period: from 13 Mar 2020

This pattern follows the persecution of residents and activists in the Jadar valley who oppose Rio Tinto's lithium and boron mine. The Government scrapped the mine's spatial plan after protests in 2021, then reinstated it in July 2024, three days before the EU and Serbia signed a memorandum on critical raw materials. The authorities responded to the 2024 protests with arrests, detentions and trials of activists. None of the six cases has been finally resolved. Rio Tinto has put the project into a “care and maintenance” phase, and the 2026 election was won by the Student List, which wants projects such as Jadar halted.

The spatial plan and pressure on locals

Locals and activists in the Jadar valley oppose the Rio Tinto (Rio Sava) lithium and boron mine in Gornje Nedeljice near Loznica. The Government adopted the mine's spatial plan by decree in March 2020; locals spoke of houses that had been bought and that the owners had to demolish themselves, of pressure to sell their land and of threats of expropriation.

After protests and blockades in late 2021, the plan was scrapped in January 2022.

Plan back in force

In July 2024, after the Constitutional Court ruled the decree scrapping the plan unconstitutional, the Government reinstated the plan, three days before the EU and Serbia signed a memorandum on critical raw materials.

In June 2025, the European Commission designated Jadar a strategic project.

Arrests and trials of activists

The authorities responded to the 2024 protests with arrests, detentions and trials of activists. Three activists convicted in fast-track proceedings after a Belgrade protest in 2024 were released two days later, when the verdict was overturned.

None of the six cases in this pattern has been finally resolved.

The persecution of Zlatko Kokanović

Zlatko Kokanović of the Ne damo Jadar association is on trial over a 2024 railway blockade, and in 2026 he spent 12 days in custody after a blockade near Trbušnica. His farm has been placed in passive status for five years.

His summons by the BIA and the spyware found on his phone are covered in the affair “NoviSpy: spyware on activists' phones”.

Šabac and the case against Rio Tinto

The attackers of demonstrators in Šabac in 2021 have not been prosecuted, and according to Nebojša Petković, the case against Rio Tinto has been sitting with the prosecutor's office for five years.

Project on hold and the elections

In November 2025, Rio Tinto put Jadar into a “care and maintenance” phase while keeping its rights to the project.

The 25 October 2026 elections were won by the Student List, whose programme calls for halting projects such as Jadar; Kokanović was one of its candidates.

Participants

Government of the Republic of Serbia: According to Kokanović, it used the European Commission to deny access to the documents on its decision on the project, which it reinstated in July 2024 (responsible)
Ana Brnabić: In 2022 she announced that the government had “put an end to Rio Tinto”, and in 2024 that giving up lithium would be “abnormal” (commented on the case)
Aleksandar Vučić: He initiated the withdrawal of the Expropriation Act, and in December 2021 he said the Jadar project would not be withdrawn (commented on the case)
Ivica Dačić: He announced the arrest of four people in Subotica who, he said, had been preparing an attack on the constitutional order (commented on the case)
Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia: After the protest, it detained around forty activists on suspicion of “overthrowing the constitutional order” and held the moderator of the Facebook page “Aktivizam” (responsible)
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia: By a ruling, it put Kokanović's farm into passive status for five years, cutting off subsidies; according to him, in order to “wear down” an opponent of the mine (responsible)
Ministry of Mining and Energy of the Republic of Serbia: It said the project "must be discussed" and called the demand to halt geological exploration a "rash idea" (commented on the case)
Dubravka Đedović Handanović: She urged MPs not to vote for a ban on lithium and boron exploration and mining (commented on the case)
Dragana Lukić: As mayor she sued Kokanović for 100,000 dinars over a Facebook comment; the Court of Appeal dismissed the suit (responsible)
National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia: It rejected the opposition proposal to ban lithium and boron exploration and mining, with 128 votes against and 84 in favour (commented on the case)
Rio Tinto (in Serbia through the company Rio Sava Exploration): According to residents of Gornje Nedeljice, while buying up land for the mine it pressured them to move out, and they also mention bribery and threats of expropriation (responsible)
PE Srbijagas: According to lawyer Đorđević, machinery moved onto fields in Nedeljice for its gas pipeline before the owners had received expropriation decisions (responsible)
European Commission: It signed a raw materials memorandum with Serbia and listed the “Jadar” project among its strategic projects outside the EU (commented on the case)
Constitutional Court of the Republic of Serbia: It found that the decree revoking the plan was not in line with the Constitution and that this does not revive the 2020 decree (investigation and courts)
Misdemeanour Court in Belgrade: According to Radio Free Europe, it sentenced three activists in fast-track proceedings to 30 and 40 days in prison (investigation and courts)
Misdemeanour Appellate Court: According to Radio Free Europe, it upheld the appeal and sent the case back, and the activists were released (investigation and courts)
Basic Court in Loznica: According to Danas, it is hearing the case against Kokanović for assaulting an official during the railway blockade (investigation and courts)
Court of Appeal in Novi Sad: According to Danas, it dismissed the Loznica mayor's lawsuit against Kokanović and ordered her to pay the costs (investigation and courts)
„We Won't Give Up Jadar“ association: It called the detentions intimidation and told the authorities to arrest the initiators, not children and pregnant women (oversight and the public)
Eko straža: According to Vreme, four activists had their homes searched on a prosecutor's order, and around forty activists were detained on suspicion of seeking to overthrow the order (oversight and the public)
Student List – Students Are Winning: After the election it called for an audit of the money flows for all projects, including Rio Tinto (commented on the case)