Karleusa: Serbia's Animal Law Exists, Nobody Enforces It

Jelena Karleusa addressed the torture and killing of dogs in Mladenovac during an appearance on “Puls Srbije vikend.” The singer was blunt about it: Serbia has a law protecting animals, but nobody follows it. “The law exists, but nobody abides by it,” Karleusa said.

The comments came after the arrest of a man from the village of Janjilo near Mladenovac, identified in local media by the initials G.Z. The suspect is 55 and worked at a local grill stand. According to reports, he tortured and killed dogs, and the grill stand where he was employed was sealed off after his arrest. Meat samples taken from the premises were sent for forensic testing. Srpske.rs previously reported on the arrest of the grill stand worker over the killing of a dog.

Sources disagree on exactly how many animals died. Informer reports that the suspect tortured and then killed one animal on August 15. Pink.rs, on the other hand, writes that two dogs were involved.

Karleusa has worked on animal protection for decades, and she says it is not a passing interest. She pointed to her formal cooperation with one of the world’s largest animal rights organizations.

I am not just an animal rights fighter and someone who advocates for animals having a voice, I have also been an active PETA member and have worked seriously with them at the European level for more than a decade. When it comes to our country and to animal protection laws and rights in general, the law exists, but nobody abides by it.

The singer also said she has not watched, and does not plan to watch, the video of the torture and killing that circulated on social media.

I did not want to watch the footage, because I can no longer bear that stress and relive the horror of animals being tortured and killed.

She did not mince words about the man himself. For Karleusa, there is no explanation for an act like this beyond illness.

In my opinion, this man’s reasons are pure psychopathy. He could not overpower a person, but if he could have, he would have killed a person too.

Asked what would change cases like this, Karleusa said penalties in Serbia are too lenient and that harsher fines would have an effect. “Hit them where it hurts, in the wallet, and it would happen a lot less,” the singer said on the same program.

Speaking to Pink.rs, which also interviewed her about the case, Karleusa said animals should be seen as living beings with rights, not as objects. “An animal isn’t a thing, an animal is someone!” she told the outlet.

Why Did Karleusa Speak Out About This Case Now?

The Mladenovac case sparked heated reactions on social media as soon as the abuse video surfaced. Karleusa, a longtime animal rights activist and a judge on the “Pinkove zvezde” music competition, is one of the few public figures in Serbia who regularly speaks about the issue in the media, so her comments on this particular case spread quickly beyond entertainment coverage.

Informer published the singer’s statement on August 22 at 7:25 p.m., a day before the case again became a topic on Pink.rs, where Karleusa further explained her stance on penalties and judicial accountability. Her message stayed the same across both appearances: the law exists in Serbia, the problem is enforcement.