Serbian police raided the offices of several NGOs after prosecutors opened an investigation into their usage of funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade said police on February 25 "began collecting information" regarding the work of four NGOs -- the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA), Civic Initiatives, the Center for Practical Politics, and the Trag Foundation.
Chief Public Prosecutor Nenad Stefanovic said there were orders that "for the time being, all documentation related to USAID donations be removed from these four organizations, as well as that interviews be conducted with the responsible persons."
CRTA and Civic Initiatives confirmed that police entered their premises on the morning of February 25. The Center for Practical Politics reportedly doesn't currently receive money from USAID.
"This is a serious attack on basic civil rights and the continuation of illegal pressure on civil society in Serbia. The ruling structures are trying to implement mechanisms of intimidation and persecution," Civic Initiatives said in a statement.
SEE ALSO: Ukraine Feels The Shockwaves As USAID Cuts Start To BiteThe raids came after U.S. President Donald Trump curtailed the work of USAID work when he ordered a 90-day spending freeze on January 24.
On February 3, employees were locked out of USAID's offices in Washington and many staff have been pulled from overseas deployments.
The administration is conducting a review of the agency, which was founded in the early 1960s to coordinate U.S. aid abroad.
Since Trump's return to the White House, his administration and people close to it have repeatedly called USAID a "criminal organization."
A day before the raids, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Serbia "will assist" the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in its investigation into the financing of Serbian NGOs by USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
"There is no doubt, we will cooperate very closely with the FBI on this issue," Vucic told Happy Television, adding that the FBI will receive any information it requests from Serbia.
Since 2000, USAID has invested more than $1 billion in Serbia, according to data from the U.S. State Department and USAID's website on foreign assistance.
In order to assist economic and democratic development, the agency cooperated primarily with state institutions in Serbia, as well as the private sector, civil society organizations, and the media.