Belgrade residents tell rights court of bar noise 'torture'

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia's capital is vibrating with nightlife again after over a year of pandemic restrictions. Cafes, bars and fun-hungry customers are celebrating a summer boom in business and entertainment options, but the accompanying loud music and other noise are a bust for residents across Belgrade.

Since hot weather arrived and coronavirus rules eased, Nemanja Dragic, 36, said he can't open his balcony door without a thunderous cacophony bursting into his apartment. He used his savings to install a thicker door and sturdier windows, desperate to muffle the sounds coming from over a dozen bars and clubs.

Dragic's apartment overlooks a downtown Belgrade street that is one of the hot spots in a European capital with a reputation for partying after dark. He said all the carousing makes it impossible to keep his windows open during much of the summer, to rest or to spend undisturbed time in his home.

"The noise is such that some neighbors just leave the city or the street or everything," said Dragic, an engineer.

Residents of the city's commercial areas have complained for years about deafening noise from bars, discos and night clubs. Faced with inaction from authorities, some citizen' associations have turned to the European Court of Human Rights, filing a case that argues they have been exposed to torture and had their rights to family life and privacy violated.

Lawyer Marina Mijatovic said she took the issue to the court in Strasbourg after Belgrade authorities didn't respond to a local court ruling last month that said they hadn't done enough to limit noise. The European court is yet to decide whether it will accept the case, she said.

"We expect the (European) court to confirm the violation of rights and instruct Serbia to take measures to reduce the...