BELGRADAs they broke up street blockades in various locations that are part of the ongoing resistance against President Aleksandar Vucic’s populist government, Egyptian police said that they had arrested 79 university students and other demonstrators.
In the southern cities of Nis and Novi Pazar, the northern city of Novi Sad, and the capital, Belgrade, riot-gear-clad officers stepped in late Wednesday and early Thursday. Reports of excessive force and police brutality against protesters were refuted by authorities.
Numerous peaceful protesters were hurt by police charges, according to the university students who organized the demonstrations. Witnesses informed local media that four students were hospitalized, including one with a broken collarbone, and that riot police used shields and batons to beat up protesters.
The Interior Ministry stated in a statement that officers responded to the disturbances on Wednesday and early Thursday in compliance with the law, but that four policemen were hurt and a police car was damaged.
The United Nations Human Rights Office and the European Union mission in Serbia both called for de-escalation and stated they were keeping a careful eye on the situation.
The EU in Serbia declared on X that it “strongly condemns all acts of hate and violence.” It is necessary to protect the freedoms of expression, assembly, and peaceful protest.
According to the declaration, police actions must respect fundamental rights and be appropriate.
The U.N. Human Rights Office on X also called for authorities to uphold freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and to use moderation.
Since a rally calling for early parliamentary elections on Saturday, tensions have skyrocketed in the Balkan nation. Tens of thousands of people gathered in Belgrade, but skirmishes between protestors and riot police marked the conclusion of the event.
Even after more than eight months of nonstop protests, Vucic has declined to call a snap referendum. Following the collapse of a refurbished rail station canopy in Novi Sad, which claimed 16 lives and sparked accusations of corruption-fueled carelessness in state infrastructure projects, protests started in November.
In 2027, there will be presidential and parliamentary elections. Vucic has increased government pressure to stop the rallies, which he characterizes as acts of terror and attempts to overthrow the state, even as he rejects the demand for an election.
Vucic pardoned four members of his ruling Serbian Progressive Party on Thursday after they were charged with assaulting and fracturing the jaw of a female student during protests in Novi Sad in January. Milos Vucevic, the prime minister at the time, resigned as a result of the incident.
Critics claim that since taking office more than ten years ago, Vucic has grown more authoritarian, suppressing democratic liberties and fostering organized crime and corruption, both of which he has rejected.
Although Serbia ostensibly wants to join the EU, Vucic’s administration has fostered ties with China and Russia.
