Articles | Volume 81, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-81-617-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-81-617-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
“Mine your own business”: on the repression of the Serbian scientific community over the lithium mining project in the Jadar Valley (2020–2025)
Aleksandar Matković
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
The Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
Adela Stettler
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Social Geography and Regional Development, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
Cited articles
021: Institut o privođenju naučne saradnice: Na naučne radove odgovara se naučnom polemikom. https://www.021.rs/story/Info/Srbija/385181/Institut-o-privodjenju-naucne-saradnice-Na-naucne-radove-odgovara-se-naucnom-polemikom.html (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
24sedam. Nebojša Oberknežev: Postoje teorije zavere oko litijuma, lažni ekolozi su vas obmanuli, https://24sedam.rs/politika/vesti/319316/nebojsa-oberknezev-postoje-teorije-zavere-oko-litijuma/vest (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Addison, T. and Roe, A.: The regulation of extractives, in: Extractive Industries: The Management of Resources as a Driver of Sustainable Development, edited by: Addison, T. and Roe, A., Oxford University Press, Oxford, 245–251, https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198817369.003.0012, 2018.
Al Jazeera Balkans: Najveći ekološki protest u historiji Srbije, https://balkans.aljazeera.net/gallery/2024/8/10/fotografije-najveci-ekoloski-protest-u-historiji-srbije (last access: 9 April 2026), 2024.
Andrić, V.: Posle napada na naučnike, Ana Brnabić se obračunava i sa naučnim časopisom: Šta je Scientific Reports u kome je objavljen rad o štetnosti rudnika litijuma?, https://nuns.rs/posle-napada-na-naucnike-ana-brnabic-se-obracunava-i-sa-naucnim-casopisom-sta-je-scientific-reports-u-kome-je-objavljen-rad-o-stetnosti-rudnika-litijuma/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Autonomija: “Pratićemo te dok ne nestaneš”: Kako izgleda život onih koji javno govore protiv kopanja litijuma, https://autonomija.info/praticemo-te-dok-ne-nestanes-kako-izgleda-zivot-onih-koji-javno-govore-protiv-kopanja-litijuma/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Banks, E.: Contentious consultations: Black communities, corporate experts, and the constitutional court in Colombia's coal region, Dialect. Anthropol., 48, 163–191, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10624-023-09705-9, 2024.
Barber, J.: Disciplinarity, epistemic friction, and the Anthropocene, Ph.D. thesis, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, http://hdl.handle.net/1842/33153 (last access: 16 October 2026), 2018.
Barry, A.: Political situations: Knowledge controversies in transnational governance, Critical Policy Studies, 6/3, 324–336, https://doi.org/10.1080/19460171.2012.699234, 2012.
BBC Serbian: Srbija i politika: Šta treba da znate o izmenama Zakona o eksproprijaciji, https://www.bbc.com/serbian/lat/srbija-59381577 (last access: 9 April 2026), 2021.
BBC Serbian: Buna protiv rudnika litijuma u Srbiji: Uhapšeni aktivisti oslobođeni, https://www.bbc.com/serbian/lat/srbija-69256937 (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Belland, M., Kooy, M., and Zwarteveen, M.: Destabilizing the science of soils: geoscientists as spokespersons for land subsidence in Semarang, Indonesia, Environ. Plan. E Nat. Space, 7, 882–903, https://doi.org/10.1177/25148486231184064, 2024.
Bellolio, C.: An inquiry into populism's relation to science, Politics, 44/3, 486–500, https://doi.org/10.1177/02633957221109541, 2022.
Bednarski, M.: Academic Solidarity and Placefulness: How Does Universitas Depend on Place?, Philosophy and Theory in Higher Education, 6/2, 239–256, https://doi.org/10.3726/PTIHE.022024.0239, 2024.
Bieliauskaitė, J.: Solidarity in academia and its relationship to academic integrity, Journal of Academic Ethics, 19/3, 309–322, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-021-09420-6, 2021.
Blic: “AJ DA NE BUDEM LENJA, DA MALO POMOGNEM” Brnabić i Đorđević u klinču: Čuli se predlozi o STAVLJANJU PRSTIJU u sumpornu kiselinu i struju: “Ne savetujem, ali ako želite”, https://www.blic.rs/vesti/politika/ana-brnabic-i-dragana-djordjevic-u-klincu-oko-projekta-jadar-stavite-prst-u-sumpornu/8k1we1v (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Blic: Kompanija Rio Tinto osuđuje javne napade na profesore i stručnjake, https://www.blic.rs/biznis/vesti/kompanija-rio-tinto-osudjuje-javne-napade-na-profesore-i-strucnjake/rrjjp31 (last access: 13 April 2026), 2025.
Boege, V.: Rio Tinto And Bougainville – A Fatal Connection. A Mine, A War, And An Uncertain Future, Aust. J. Polit. Hist., 68/1, 18–35, https://doi.org/10.1111/ajph.12724, 2022.
Bokić, U.: Šest osoba u izgnanstvu, 22 u pritvoru: Koliko ljudi je režim uhapsio od početka protesta?, https://www.danas.rs/vesti/drustvo/hapsenje-na-protestima-broj-ljudi/ (last access: 9 April 2026), 2025.
Borojević Šoštarić, S. and Brenko, T.: The Miocene Western Balkan lithium-boron metallogenic zone, Miner. Deposita, 58/4, 639–658, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00126-022-01151-x, 2023.
Buchanan, K. S.: Contested discourses, knowledge, and socio-environmental conflict in Ecuador, Environ. Sci. Policy, 30, 19–25, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2012.12.012, 2013.
Bulajić, J.: Ko je Sara Pavkov, nova ministarka za zaštitu životne sredine: Najmlađa u novoj Vladi, u SNS od svoje 20, Godine, https://nova.rs/vesti/politika/ko-je-sara-pavkov-nova-ministarka-za-zastitu-zivotne-sredine/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2025.
Carmona, S. and Jaramillo, P.: Anticipating futures through enactments of expertise: A case study of an environmental controversy in a coal mining region of Colombia, The Extractive Industries and Society, 7/3, 1086–1095, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2020.06.009, 2020.
Cinar, K. and Kose, T.: Populism Versus Science in Competitive Authoritarian Regimes, Int. J. Public Opin. R., 37/1, edae063, https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/edae063, 2025.
CIVICUS: Serbia downgraded in global ratings report on civic freedoms, https://monitor.civicus.org/press_release/2025/serbia/ (last access: 9 April 2026), 2025.
Danas: Generalna direktorka “Rio Sava Exploration”: Odlučili smo da zastanemo s projektom “Jadar”, https://www.danas.rs/vesti/ekonomija/vesna-prodanovic-odlucili-smo-da-zastanemo-s-projektom-jadar/ (last access: 9 April 2026), 2021.
Danas: Nove pretnje Matkoviću nakon što su ga proglasili ekološkim teroristom, https://www.danas.rs/vesti/drustvo/nove-pretnje-matkovicu-nakon-sto-su-ga-proglasili-ekoloskim-teroristom/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024a.
Danas: Rio Tinto nije uspeo u povlačenju rada Dragane Đorđević i saradnika o projektu Jadar, https://www.danas.rs/vesti/drustvo/rio-tinto-nije-uspeo-u-povlacenju-rada-dragane-djordjevic-i-saradnika-o-projektu-jadar/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024b.
Delauney, G.: EU seals “historic” pact on Serbia's lithium deposits, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cw4yg09rl8lo (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Deutsche Welle (DW): Serbia Cancels Plan for Lithium Mine. https://www.dw.com/en/serbia-cancels-plan-for-lithium-mine-following-protests/a-60502362 (last access: 13 April 2026), 2022.
Djukanović, N.: `Green Are Fields, Not Mines': the Case of Lithium Mining and Resistance in Serbia,” Master's thesis, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, 119 pp., https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:8f16aea7-62f7-4ff1-8b25-8a9c3ed31f7c/files/d5999n385w (last access: 16 October 2026), 2022.
Djukanović, N.: Mining lithium in europe's (semi)periphery and the making of an extractivist frontier, Dispatch Series on Industrial Policy in Geoeconomic Restructuring (3 of 4), LeftEast, https://lefteast.org/mining-lithium-in-europessemiperiphery-and-the-making-of-an-extractivist-frontier/ (last access: 16 October 2026), 2024.
Djukanović, N.: “We live the violence, we resist the violence”: violent politics between a school shooting and lithium mining in Serbia, BioSocieties, 20, 724–744, https://doi.org/10.1057/s41292-025-00370-5, 2025.
Dorn, F. M. and Huber, C.: Global production networks and natural resource extraction: adding a political ecology perspective, Geogr. Helv., 75, 183–193, https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-75-183-2020, 2020.
Đorđević, D.: Leaked Emails: Rio Tinto Given Environmental Protection Conditions Without Expert Approval, https://www.cins.rs/en/leaked-emails-rio-tinto-given-environmental-protection-conditions-without-expert-approval/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2025.
Đorđević, D., Tadić, J. M., Grgur, B., Ristić, R., Sakan, S., Brezjanović, J., Stevanović, V., and Šolaja, B.: The influence of exploration activities of a potential lithium mine to the environment in Western Serbia, Sci. Rep., 14, 17090, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-68072-9, 2024.
Dragojlo, S.: Litijumsko lobiranje: Rio Tintov projekat prevelik da bi propao?, https://birn.rs/litijumsko-lobiranje-rio-tintov-projekat-prevelik-da-bi-propao/ (last access: 9 April 2026), 2021.
Dragojlo, S.: “It's [Not] Over”: The Past, and Present, of Lithium Mining in Serbia, https://balkaninsight.com/2022/04/13/its-not-over-the-past-and-present-of-lithium-mining-in-serbia/ (last access: 9 April 2026), 2022.
Dragojlo, S.: Rio Tinto nastavio da kupuje zemljište uprkos navodnom prekidu projekta, https://birn.rs/rio-tinto-nastavio-da-kupuje-zemljiste-uprskos-navodnom-prekidu-projekta/ (last access: 9 April 2026), 2023.
Ergo Strategy Group: Projekat Jadar: Procena ekonomskog uticaja Projekta litijuma I borata “Jadar”, https://ergostrategygroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Ergo-Strategy-Group-Jadar-Economic-Impact-Assessment-Sep23-SR.pdf (last access: 13 April 2026), 2023.
Euronews Serbia: U Skupštinu stigao predlog za sastav nove vlade – Mali ostaje ministar finansija, na čelu prosvete Dejan Vuk Stanković, https://www.euronews.rs/srbija/politika/165188/u-skupstinu-stigao-predlog-za-sastav-nove-vlade-mali-ostaje-ministar-finansija-na-celu-prosvete-dejan-vuk-stankovic/vest (last access: 13 April 2026), 2025.
European Commission: Speech by President von der Leyen on EU-China relations to the Mercator Institute for China Studies and the European Policy Centre, https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_23_2063 (last access: 9 April 2026), 2023.
European Western Balkans: Activists Arrested After a Mass Protest Against Lithium Mining in Serbia, https://europeanwesternbalkans.com/2024/08/12/activists-arrested-after-a-mass-protest-against-lithium-mining-in-serbia/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Fabbri, A., Fitzpatrick, I., Braznell, S., Legg, T., Cliffe, E., Vance, F., Topley, D., Baber, F., and Gilmore, A. B.: Developing and evaluating an educational intervention on conflicts of interest and corporate influence on science, Health Promot. Int., 40/3, daaf059, https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaf059, 2025.
Faculty of Biology: Statement on the Jadar project, University of Belgrade, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/rs/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Bioloski-fakultet-Univerziteta-u-Beogradu-saopstenje-jadar-rio-tinto.pdf (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
First Balkan Media: Protests Erupt in Central Belgrade after Police enter the University Rectorate, https://firstbalkanmedia.com/2026/04/01/protests-erupt-in-central-belgrade-after-police-enter-university-rectorate/ last access: 13 April 2026.
Financial Times: Rio Tinto executive coach reported ethical concerns to regulators, https://www.ft.com/content/9d03a2d3-f09f-4494-8d15-020a70433c59 (last access: 13 April 2026), 2020.
Fond za inovacionu delatnost: Sastav Upravnog i Nadzornog odbora Fonda za inovacionu delatnost, https://www.inovacionifond.rs/lat/o-fondu/nasa-organizacija/upravni-i-nadzorni-odbor, last access: 13 April 2026.
Fossen, T.: Academic Activism and the Climate Crisis: Should Scholars Protest?, Perspect. Polit., 1–16, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592725000350, 2025.
Goldberg, R. F. and Vandenberg, L. N.: The science of spin: targeted strategies to manufacture doubt with detrimental effects on environmental and public health, Environ. Health, 20, 33, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-021-00723-0, 2021.
Goodman, J.: Australia and Beyond: Targeting Rio Tinto, in: Labour and Globalisation: Results and Prospects, edited by: Munck R., Liverpool University Press, Liverpool, 105–127, ISBN 9780853238171, 2004.
Groves, C.: Post-truth and anthropogenic climate change: Asking the right questions, WIREs Clim. Change, 10, e620, https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.620, 2019.
Harvey, D.: The Urban Experience, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, US, https://doi.org/10.56021/9780801838491, 1989.
Harvey, D.: The anti-capitalist chronicles, Pluto Press, ISBN 9780745342092, 2020.
Hiltner, S., Eaton, E., Healy, N., Scerri, A., Stephens, J. C., and Supran, G.: Fossil fuel industry influence in higher education: A review and a research agenda, Wires Clim.hange, 15/6, e904, https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.904, 2024.
Hodgson, R.: Serbian Lithium Mine European Parliament Film Screening Fuels Dispute, https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/02/06/serbian-lithium-mine-european-parliament-film-screening-fuels-dispute (last access: 13 April 2026), 2025.
Informer: Unosi paniku i nemir: Ratko Ristić nije ekspert već političar koji vodi političku borbu protiv predsednika Vučića, https://informer.rs/politika/vesti/931201/unosi-paniku-i-nemir-ratko-ristic-nije-ekspert-vec-politicar-koji-vodi-politicku-borbu-protiv-predsednika-vucica-video (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024a.
Informer: UDAR NA PRAVOSUĐE! Lažni ekolozi se tužakaju Savetu Evrope: Direktan pritisak na tužioce i sudije da ne rade svoj posao!, https://informer.rs/politika/vesti/936768/aleksandra-bulatovic-eko-straza-protesti (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024b.
Informer: Tag: Dragana Đorđević, https://informer.rs/tags/245688/dragana-dordevic, last access: 13 April 2026.
Insajder: Beogradski Mašinski fakultet ogradio se od afirmativnih izjava svog profesora o projektu Jadar, https://insajder.net/prenosimo/beogradski-masinski-fakultet-ogradio-se-od-afirmativnih-izjava-svog-profesora-o-projektu-jadar (last access: 13 April 2026), 2025.
INURA: Letter of Support for Matković, International Network for Urban Research and Action, https://www.inura.org/v2/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/INURA_LetterOfSupport_Matkovic.pdf (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Iordăchescu, G.: Convivial Conservation Prospects in Europe – From Wilderness Protection to Reclaiming the Commons, Conserv. Soc., 20/2, 156–166, https://doi.org/10.4103/cs.cs_35_21, 2022.
Ivanović, S., Tomićević-Dubljević, J., Bjedov, I., Đorđević, I., and Živojinović, I.: Cultural landscape management in context: Local communities' perceptions under Jadar mineral extraction project in Serbia, The Extractive Industries and Society, 16, 101361, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2023.101361, 2023.
Jakobsen, L. J.: Corporatized oikonomia: an ethnography of a coal company's complaints office, J. Lat. Am. Geogr., 23, 58–85, https://doi.org/10.1353/lag.2024.a948096, 2024.
Jiang, S., Zhang, L., Li, F., Hua, H., Liu, X., Yuan, Z., and Wu, H.: Environmental impacts of lithium production showing the importance of primary data of upstream process in life-cycle assessment, J. Environ. Manage., 262, 110253, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110253, 2020.
Journeyman Pictures: Not in My Country – Documentary, Journeyman Pictures, https://www.journeyman.tv/film/8771/not-in-my-country (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Jovanović, D.: Prosperous Pollutants: Bargaining with Risks and Forging Hopes in an Industrial Town in Eastern Serbia, Ethnos, 83/3, 489–504, https://doi.org/10.1080/00141844.2016.1169205, 2016.
Kapelus, P.: Mining, Corporate Social Responsibility and the “Community”: The Case of Rio Tinto, Richards Bay Minerals and the Mbonambi, J. Bus. Ethics, 39, 275–296, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016570929359, 2002.
Karidio, I. and Talbot, D.: Controversy in mining development: a study of the defensive strategies of a mining company, Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, 10/1, 18–43, https://doi.org/10.1080/20430795.2019.1657315, 2019.
Kill, J. and Franchi, G.: Rio Tinto`s biodiversity offset in Madagascar Double landgrab in the name of biodiversity? March, https://wrm.org.uy/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/RioTintoBiodivOffsetMadagascar_report_EN_web.pdf (last access: 20 November 2025), 2016.
Kovačević, N.: The Documentary “Not in My Country” Denies Voice and Agency to Broad Grassroots Opposition to Lithium Mining in Serbia. https://lefteast.org/not-in-my-country/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2025.
Kurir: GDE SU PARE, ETO GA RATKO: Ristić se preko noći odrekao zelenih da bi preleteo kod Boška u Dveri!, https://www.kurir.rs/vesti/politika/4276934/gde-su-pare-eto-ga-ratko-ristic-se-preko-noci-odrekao-zelenih-da-bi-preleteo-kod-boska-u-dveri (last access: 13 April 2026), 2023.
Kurir: REAKCIJA ANE BRNABIĆ: Ratko Ristić mrzi sve što je njegov profesorski alter ego prethodno radio, https://www.kurir.rs/vesti/politika/4427652/brnabiceva-reagovala-na-autorski-teProf.ratka-ristica-mrzi-sve-sto-je-njegov-profesorski-alter-ego-prethodno-radio (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Lazarević, A.: Rio Tinto ne da ne odustaje od Srbije, već su kupili 10 parcela u jednom danu, https://nova.rs/vesti/drustvo/rio-tinto-ne-da-ne-odustaje-od-srbije-vec-su-kupili-10-parcela-u-jednom-danu/ (last access: 9 April 2026), 2022.
Legg, T., Hatchard, J., and Gilmore, A. B.: The science for profit model – how and why corporations influence science and the use of science in policy and practice, Plos one, 16/6, e0253272, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253272, 2021.
Letnar Černič, J.: Business and human rights at the margins: a case of bottom-up campaign against Rio Tinto's Jadar lithium project in Serbia, Australian Journal of Human Rights, 29/3, 558–564, https://doi.org/10.1080/1323238X.2023.2276551, 2023.
Luciani, L.: Linda Luciani's thesis defense – Online Degrowth Master, UAB, a.y. 2023/2024, YouTube [video], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfJqpuHAr7I&ab_channel=LindaLuciani (last access: 9 April 2026), 2025.
Mašina: Povlačenje rada o Rio Tintu: Dok autori tvrde da je to pritisak kompanije, podnosioci primedbi demantuju i kažu – ispravan korak, https://www.masina.rs/povlacenje-rada-o-rio-tintu-dok-autori-tvrde-da-je-to-pritisak-kompanije-podnosioci-primedbi-demantuju-i-kazu-ispravan-korak/, last access: 13 April 2026.
Maddox, R. and Morton Ninomiya, M. E.: Indigenous sovereignty in research and epistemic justice: Truth telling through research, Global Public Health, 20/1, 2436436, https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2024.2436436, 2025.
Mandela Institute: Public regulation and corporate practices in the extractive industry: A South–South advocacy report on community engagement. University of the Witwatersrand, https://www.wits.ac.za/media/wits-university/faculties-and-schools/commerce-law-and-management/research-entities/mandela-institute/documents/research-publications/Public%20Regulation%20and%20Corporate%20Practices%20in%20the%20Extractive%20Industry,%20a%20Mandela%20Institute%20report.pdf (last access: 16 October 2026), 2017.
Matković, A.: Open letter regarding Rio Tinto and the “mining colony that Serbia is turning into”, https://www.tni.org/en/article/open-letter-regarding-rio-tinto-and-the-mining-colony-that-serbia-is-turning-into (last access: 9 April 2026), 2024.
Millington, R., Giles, A. R., Hayhurst, L. M. C., van Luijk, N., and McSweeney, M.: “Calling out” corporate redwashing: the extractives industry, corporate social responsibility and sport for development in indigenous communities in Canada, Sport in Society, 22/12, 2122–2140, https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2019.1567494, 2019.
Mining Technology: Jadar Lithium-Borates Project, Serbia, https://www.mining-technology.com/projects/jadar-lithium-borates-project-serbia/ (last access: 9 April 2026), 2021.
Murrey, A. and Jackson, N. A.: A Decolonial Critique of the Racialized “Localwashing” of Extraction in Central Africa, Ann. Am. Assoc. Geogr., 110/3, 917–940, https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2019.1638752, 2020.
N1 Beograd: Profesorka PMF-a u Nišu: Projekat Jadar je štetan, posledice bi bile osetne stotinama kilometara, https://n1info.rs/zeleni-kutak/profesorka-pmf-a-u-nisu-projekat-jadar-je-stetan-posledice-bi-bile-osetne-stotinama-kilometara/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024a.
N1 Beograd: Institut za filozofiju i društvenu teoriju osudio privođenje naučne saradnice zbog projekta “Jadar”, https://n1info.rs/vesti/institut-za-filozofiju-i-drustvenu-teoriju-osudio-privodjenje-naucne-saradnice-zbog-projekta-jadar/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024b.
N1 Beograd: Ratko Ristić: Vučić je za 60 sekundi izneo nekoliko laži, poručio bih mu da više uvažava naučnu zajednicu, https://n1info.rs/vesti/ratko-ristic-vucic-za-60-sekundi-izneo-nekoliko-lazi-porucio-bih-mu-da-vise-uvazava-naucnu-zajednicu/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024c.
N1 Beograd: Advokat: Znamo da Rio Tinto nije mogao da konkuriše pred EK bez eksplicitne dozvole naše vlasti, https://n1info.rs/vesti/advokat-znamo-da-rio-tinto-nije-mogao-da-konkurise-pred-ek-bez-eksplicitne-dozvole-nase-vlasti/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2025a.
N1 Beograd: Matković: ElevenEs jeste na spisku donatora filma Petera Toma Džonsa o litijumu, https://n1info.rs/zeleni-kutak/matkovic-elevenes-jeste-na-spisku-donatora-filma-petera-toma-dzonsa-o-litijumu/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2025b.
Nadić, D. P.: Causes and consequences of the radicalization of environmental movements in Serbia, Napredak-časopis za političku teoriju i praksu, 3/1, 25–36, https://doi.org/10.5937/napredak3-37025, 2022.
Nature: Scientific Reports Article, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-68072-9 (last access: 9 April 2026), 2024.
Nesavršeni čovek: Prof. Imre Krizmanić – Rio Tinto/Biologija #13, YouTube [video], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1XZDykocUE (last access: 13 April 2026), 2025.
Neslen, A.: Activist opposed to Rio Tinto lithium mine receives anonymous death threats, https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/aug/22/activist-serbia-rio-tinto-lithium-mining-environment-death-threats (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Obradović, J., Vasić, N., Kašanin-Grubin, M., and Grubin, N.: Neogene lacustrine sediments and authigenic minerals geochemical characteristics, Geološki anali Balkanskoga poluostrva, 63, 135–154, ISSN 0350-0608, 2000.
ORA (Oxford University Research Archive): Repository entry, https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:8f16aea7-62f7-4ff1-8b25-8a9c3ed31f7c, last access: 9 April 2026.
Oreskes, N. and Conway, E. M.: Merchants of Doubt, Bloomsbury Press, ISBN 9781608193943, 2010.
Oreskes, N.: Why Trust Science? Princeton University Press, ISBN 9780691179001, 2019.
OzonPress: Vlada Ane Brnabić 2017, potpisala pomoć Rio Tintu za dozvole, https://www.ozonpress.net/politika/vlada-ane-brnabic-2017-potpisala-pomoc-rio-tintu-za-dozvole/ (last access: 9 April 2026), 2021.
Peljto, S.: Ovo je 19 primedbi akademika SANU na Strategiju o mineralnim resursima, https://www.danas.rs/vesti/ekonomija/19-primedbi-akademika-sanu-na-strategiju-o-mineralnim-resursima/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2025
Petrović, M. and Pešić, J.: Potentials and Obstacles for the Transnationalisation of Recent Environmental Struggles in Serbia [Potencijali i prepreke za transnacionalizaciju suvremenih ekoloških borbi u Srbiji], Sociologija i Prostor, 61, 397–422, https://doi.org/10.5673/sip.61.2.7, 2023.
Pitt, H., Thomas, S., McCarthy, S., van Schalkwyk, M. C., Petticrew, M., Randle, M., and Daube, M.: Developing structures to support researchers studying health-harming industries, Health Promot. Int., 39/6, daae174, https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daae174, 2024.
Popławska, K.: “Serbia's lithium dilemma”? Exploring the construction of legitimacy in the stage of pre-extraction debate and public contestation, B.Sc. thesis, Department of Human Geography, Lund University, Sweden, 47 pp., https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9194354 (last access: 16 October 2026), 2025.
Popović, P. V.: Rio Tinto u Srbiji od 2001, do danas – dozvole, protesti, stopiranje, “lobiranje”..., https://n1info.rs/zeleni-kutak/rio-tinto-u-srbiji-od-2001-do-danas-dozvole-protesti-stopiranje-lobiranje/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Prvi Prvi na Skali: Vlada povukla iz skupštinske procedure Zakon o eksproprijaciji, https://prviprvinaskali.com/clanci/dren/ekologija/vlada-povukla-iz-skupstinske-procedure-zakon-o-eksproprijaciji.html (last access: 9 April 2026), 2021.
Prvi Prvi na Skali: Projekat Rio Tinta u Srbiji štite potpisi Svilanovića (2004) i Vučića (2021) na međunarodnim ugovorima sa Ujedinjenim Kraljevstvom?, https://prviprvinaskali.com/clanci/dren/ekologija/projekat-rio-tinta-u-srbiji-stite-potpisi-svilanovica-2004-i-vucica-2021-na-medjunarodnim-ugovorima-sa-ujedinjenim-kraljevstvom.html (last access: 9 April 2026), 2022.
Putzolu, F., Armstrong, R. N., Garcia, J., Hawkes, N., Nebel, E., Boyce, A., Najorka, J., and Herrington, R.: Li residency in alkaline paleo-lake systems: the peculiar case of the Jadar (Serbia) deposit, Geol. Soc Am. Conference – Abstract Programs, 54/5, https://doi.org/10.1130/abs/2022am-380115, 2022.
Putzolu, F., Armstrong, R. N., Benson, T. R., Boutt, D. F., Butler, K. L., Dolgopolova, A., Herrington, R. J., Ibarra, D. E., and Munk, L. A.: Volcano-sedimentary deposits: Overview of an emerging type of lithium resource, Econ. Geol., https://doi.org/10.5382/econgeo.5135, 2025a.
Putzolu, F., Armstrong, R. N., Boyce, A. J., Hepburn, L. E., Bompard, N., Najorka, J., Lefebvre-Desanois, M., Milton, A. J., Salge, T., Erak, D., and Abad, I.: Origin of the Jadar volcano-sedimentary Li-B deposit, Serbia, Econ. Geol., https://doi.org/10.5382/econgeo.5132, 2025b.
Radar: Studija srpskih stručnjaka: Ekonomski efekti projekta Jadar, Od litijuma svakom stanovniku po 2,6 evra godišnje, https://radar.nova.rs/ekonomija/efekti-projekta-jadar-litijum-rio-tinto/ (last access: 9 April 2026), 2024.
Radio Slobodna Evropa: Savet za borbu protiv korupcije: Zakon o eksproprijaciji na štetu građana, https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/eksproprijacija-srbija-rio-tinto-/31596398.html (last access: 9 April 2026), 2021.
Radio Sto Plus: Rio Tinto: Infrastruktura za potrebe projekta Jadar biće u skladu sa Prostornim planom, https://www.radiostoplus.com/rio-tinto-infrastruktura-za-potrebe-projekta-jadar-bice-u-skladu-sa-prostornim-planom/ (last access: 9 April 2026), 2021.
REHVA: European Green Deal: Commission announced up to 1 trillion Euros to mobilise green transition, https://www.rehva.eu/news/article/european-green-deal-commission-announced-up-to-1-trillion-euros-to-mobilise-green-transition (last access: 9 April 2026), 2020.
Republika: SEKRETARKA INSTITUTA ZA HEMIJU IMA ČAK 87 GODINA! Umesto da uživa u penziji ona zapošljava ljude i dodeljuje im novac za putovanja sa zadatkom da lobiraju protiv litijuma!, https://www.republika.rs/vesti/drustvo/598345/insitut-za-hemiju-dragana-dordevic-vera-antic (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Rhodes, M., Armstrong, R., Hillier, A. D., Putzolu, F., and Kirk, C.: The dry-gel conversion synthesis of the lithium sodium borosilicate jadarite, LiNaSiB3O7 (OH), Miner. Mag., 88/3, 319–326, https://doi.org/10.1180/mgm.2024.28, 2024.
Rio Tinto: Company History, https://www.riotinto.com/en/about/history, last access: 13 April 2026.
Ristić, R.: Ratko Ristić uputio otvoreno pismo javnosti povodom događaja u Ljuboviji, https://www.danas.rs/dijalog/licni-stavovi/ratko-ristic-otvoreno-pismo/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Rudroff, T.: The Growing Tide of Antiscience Sentiment: A Global Concern, World Medical & Health Policy, https://doi.org/10.1002/wmh3.70022, 2025.
Savatović, M.: Rio Tintu za rudnik nedostaje 209 parcela, iz Nedeljica poručuju da mogu samo da im otmu zemlju, https://n1info.rs/vesti/rio-tintu-za-rudnik-nedostaje-209-parcela-iz-nedeljica-porucuju-da-mogu-samo-da-im-otmu-zemlju/ (last access: 9 April 2026), 2024.
Sekularac, I.: Serbia revokes Rio Tinto lithium project licences amid protests, https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/serbian-government-revokes-rio-tintos-licences-lithium-project-2022-01-20/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2022.
Shenhav, Y.: Manufacturing uncertainty and uncertainty in manufacturing: managerial discourse and the rhetoric of organizational theory, Sci. Context, 7, 471–495, https://doi.org/10.1017/s0269889700001691, 1994.
Simon, G. L: Disingenuous natures and post-truth politics: Five knowledge modalities of concern in environmental governance, Geoforum, 132, 162–170, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2021.12.006, 2022.
Simonović, P., Dekić, R., and Nikolić, V.: Treatise on Assessment of Risk on Aquatic Ecosystem of the River Jadar Owing to Exploitation of Boron and Lithium in the Project “Jadar”, Acta Scientifica Balcanica, 3/2, 23–34, https://doi.org/10.7251/ASB220302023S, 2022.
Spasić, V.: Academician Stevanović: Rio Tinto's Jadarite Mine Could Cause Irreversible Damage, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/academician-stevanovic-sanu-rio-tintos-jadarite-mine-could-cause-irreversible-damage/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2021.
Stanley, C. J., Jones, G. C., Rumsey, M. S., Blake, C., Roberts, A. C., Stirling, J. A.,Carpenter, G. J. C., Whitfield, P. S., Grice, J. D., and Lepage, Y. : Jadarite, LiNaSiB3O7(OH), a new mineral species from the Jadar Basin, Serbia, Eur. J. Mineral., 19/4, https://doi.org/10.1127/0935-1221/2007/0019-1741, 575–580, 2007.
Stojanovic, D.: Germany's chancellor praises lithium deal with Serbia that could reduce Europe's dependency on China, https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-business/ap-germanys-chancellor-in-serbia-for-a-lithium-deal-that-could-reduce-europes-dependency-on-china/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Stojanović, M.: N1 saznaje: Čitava uprava PMF-a u Nišu podnela ostavku, https://n1info.rs/vesti/n1-saznaje-citava-uprava-pmf-a-u-nisu-podnela-ostavku/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Szabados, K.: Can We Win the War on Science? Understanding the Link between Political Populism and Anti-Science Politics, Populism, 2/2, 207–236, https://doi.org/10.1163/25888072-02021028, 2019.
Tanjug TV: Istine i laži o litijumu – Nebojša Oberknežev i Branislav Simonović – MI DANAS, YouTube [video], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBRBl2ZNDFk (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Teixeira, B. M. and Oliveira, M. P.: “We are not Lithium Valley!”, NACLA Report on the Americas, 57/3, 278–285, https://doi.org/10.1080/10714839.2025.2542079, 2025.
Todorović, I.: Jadar Declaration Unites Activists in Global Resistance Against Lithium Mining, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/jadar-declaration-unites-activists-in-global-resistance-against-lithium-mining/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2022.
Todorović, I.: Serbia's Vučić Claims EU to Designate Lithium Project Jadar as Strategic – Activists Vow to Appeal, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/serbias-vucic-claims-eu-to-designate-lithium-project-jadar-as-strategic-activists-vow-to-appeal/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2025.
Transnational Institute (TNI): Open Letter Regarding Rio Tinto and the “Mining Colony That Serbia Is Turning Into”, https://www.tni.org/en/article/open-letter-regarding-rio-tinto-and-the-mining-colony-that-serbia-is-turning-into (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024a.
Transnational Institute (TNI): Letter of Support for Aleksandar Matković, https://www.tni.org/en/article/letter-of-support-for-aleksandar-matkovic (last access: 14 April 2026), 2024b.
UNA TV: Između redova: Da li je litijum naša nada ili naše prokletstvo?, https://unatv.una.rs/video/izmedu-redova-da-li-je-litijum-nasa-nada-ili-nase-prokletstvo (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Vojnović, N.: “Mojim venama teče litijum” Dejan Ilić otvorio drugi dan “Look Up 2” konferencije, https://www.blic.rs/biznis/privreda/dejan-ilic-o-litijumu-regulisanju-eksploatacije-sirovina-i/kwzxqyg (last access: 13 April 2026), 2023.
Vreme: Economists: The Jadar project is not justified and should be stopped, https://vreme.com/en/ekonomija/ekonomisti-projekat-jadar-nije-opravdan-i-treba-biti-obustavljen/ (last access: 9 April 2026), 2024a.
Vreme: Rio Tinto traži povlačenje rada o štetnosti rudnika iz časopisa Scientific Reports, https://vreme.com/vesti/rio-tinto-trazi-povlacenje-rada-o-stetnosti-rudnika-iz-casopisa-scientific-reports/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024b.
Vreme: Profesori sa Zapada traže da EU batali srpski litijum, https://vreme.com/vesti/profesori-sa-zapada-traze-da-eu-batali-srpski-litijum/?fbclid=IwY2xjawK6G1FleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBi cmlkETExbjlOZHBVaU83YkhJZGdtAR5IpSp8pnZQvZ0V n3gZAqMr0Tlizvm_zXHgpooeFs-fYJTVbL6fcjjKSeg Vhg_aem_4Nk77F6-FWgzANMiO5gv_Q (last access: 13 April 2026), 2025.
Vukadinović, Đ.: Narod protiv Rio Tinta, https://vreme.com/vreme/narod-protiv-rio-tinta/ (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Whitfield, P. S., Le Page, Y., Grice, J. D., Stanley, C. J., Jones, G. C., Rumsey, M. S., Blake, C., Roberts, A. C., Stirling, J. A. R., and Carpenter, G. J.: LiNaSiB3O7(OH)–novel structure of the new borosilicate mineral jadarite determined from laboratory powder diffraction data, Acta Crystallogr. B Struct. Sci., 63/3, 396–401, https://doi.org/10.1107/S0108768107010130, 2007.
Welker, M.: Enacting the corporation: an American mining firm in post-authoritarian Indonesia, Cornell University Press, ISBN 9780520282315, 2014.
Willert, K. B.: Politics and Science: Introduction, Danish Yearbook of Philosophy, 57/2, 135–152, 2024.
Wölfl, A.: Widerstand gegen Lithium-Mine in Serbien: nun wird die Wissenschaft zur Speerspitze der Umweltbewegung, https://www.nzz.ch/international/widerstand-gegen-lithium-mine-in-serbien-nun-wird-die-wissenschaft-zur-speerspitze-der-umweltbewegung-ld.1845936 (last access: 13 April 2026), 2024.
Xie, X.-Z., Kuang, H., Wiens, E., Deevsalar, R., Tunc, A., Purdy, S., Zuin, L., Tse, J. S., Mi, J.-X., and Pan, Y.: Synthesis of jadarite in the Li2O–Na2O–B2O3–SiO2–NaCl–H2O system: FTIR, Raman, and Li and B K-edge XANES characterizations and theoretical calculations, Eur. J. Mineral., 36, 139–151, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-36-139-2024, 2024.
Yates, K., McKee, M., Bekker, M., and Greer, S.: Standing up for science in an age of political interference, BMJ, 388, r638, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.r638, 2025.
Short summary
This article investigates how scientists who questioned the proposed lithium mine in Serbia were silenced or discredited. Drawing on interviews, public records, media reports, and correspondence with the mining company, it examines nine cases between 2020 and 2025. The study shows how personal attacks, legal and financial pressure, exclusion, and censorship pushed critical voices aside, narrowing public debate and making environmentally harmful development appear to be unavoidable.
This article investigates how scientists who questioned the proposed lithium mine in Serbia were...