The Humanitarian Law Center points out that the authorities stepped up the intimidation of the citizenry and started expelling foreign journalists during the period of electoral silence. This and the denial of entry visas to numerous foreign observers, and barring activists of the Romanian non-governmental organization Pro-Democracy and a Hungarian photojournalist from entering the country, seriously puts into question the holding of peaceful and free elections.

On 22 September, the authorities cancelled the visas of some twenty foreign journalists who were in Serbia to cover the elections, and gave them 24 hours to leave the country. These journalists included two Norwegian reporters, a four-member team of the US NBC television network, a four-member team of France 3, a reporter of the Japanese NTV network, three journalists from Finland, Ukraine and the Czech Republic, two reporters from Italy, and a French journalist of the LCI Channel. Also on 22 September, police raided the premises of the Otpor (Resistance) movement in Kragujevac and Nis, confiscated property and detained over 30 activists. In Valjevo, a plainclothes police officer broke the arm of a juvenile who was posting Otpor stickers. In Smederevo, two policemen forced two 14-year-old boys to swallow stickers, and in Cacak police warned an Otpor activist ôto not even think about taking to the streets on Sunday evening.ö

The Humanitarian Law Center has learned that police raided cafes in Nis last night, searching young people for objects bearing the Otpor emblem.