civicplays

The public research collection

Two connected events document the AML/money laundering framing applied to CRTA and the NGO sector in February-March 2025. EVENT 1 (February 13, 2025): Following the USAID suspen…

← Civic Plays
summary
Two connected events document the AML/money laundering framing applied to CRTA and the NGO sector in February-March 2025. EVENT 1 (February 13, 2025): Following the USAID suspension (February 3, 2025), CRTA is targeted by coordinated online harassment and threats. International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) issues formal statement condemning "orchestrated smear campaigns against civil society actors in Serbia." Threats include false and unfounded claims that CRTA director Vukosava Crnjanski "plays a key role behind plans for overthrowing Vučić." IFCN: USAID funding for CRTA went to "anti-corruption education campaigns to foster government accountability." EVENT 2 (March 17-18, 2025): Vučić appears on TV Pink in special broadcast accusing CRTA and Građanske inicijative of money laundering via non-existent taxi drivers. Direct accusation: "When they receive 26 million, they transfer 11 million to taxi drivers. How? They are laundering money." Frames entire NGO sector as serving "subversive activities against free states." Names specific organizations: CRTA, Trag Foundation, Građanske inicijative, KRIK. Invokes soccer betting company (Soccer Bet) as purported funder of Građanske inicijative. Frames CSO network as preparation for "color revolution" coordinated across 72 municipalities. Draws explicit parallel with Budapest: "Synchronized attack of centers of power against free and independent leaders such as himself and Viktor Orbán." Politika/Radar analysis (September 3, 2024, republished): "foreign mercenaries" rhetoric is a revival of 1990s Milošević framing — "strani plaćenici i domaći izdajnici." BIRODI director Gavrilović (cited in Radar): "Vučić needs an enemy — focus groups told him: target NGOs." European Parliament condemns "orchestrated attacks by ruling party MPs and pro-government tabloids against investigative journalists and civil society members" (EP report amendment, cited in Radar).
country
Serbia
date text
13/02/2025
entities
  • Aleksandar Vučić
    entity type
    Senior Official
    id
    891
    name
    Aleksandar Vučić
    role
    actor
  • CRTA
    entity type
    CSO
    id
    878
    name
    CRTA
    role
    target
sources
  • citation
    IFCN statement February 13 2025 (https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/updates/online-threats-and-harassment-against-civil-society-are-unacceptable — primary); Politika/Radar March 18 2025 — Vučić TV Pink broadcast transcript (primary — Milica Krstić reporting); Radar September 3 2024 — "Strani plaćenici: retorika devedesetih" (Sandra Petrušić — analytical context); Tanjug March 9 2025 — Vučić reveals USAID-CRTA connections
tactics
narratives
campaign ids
campaign phase
Phase 3: Amplification
channels
  • State/National TV
consequence category
Social Trust Erosion
created at
2026-09-24T17:50:55.358311+00:00
date precision
day
escalation
3
harm track
Track 2 — Social Trust Erosion
id
SRB-017
institutional consequence
Narrative Damage
notes
CLEAREST CASE OF CREDIBILITY ATTACK VIA FUNDING DISCLOSURE: right after the Sound Canon. Vučić names CRTA's foreign funders (British, American, Swiss
occurred on
2025-02-13
signal ids
trigger type
TR-02: Civic Mobilization
updated at
2026-09-24T17:50:55.358311+00:00
version
1

Explore the connections

Associated reports

Associated signals

Associated responses

Read the complete JSON record