Early this morning, hundreds of students and citizens gathered in front of the court and prosecutor's office in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad. They are demanding the release of six activists from two non-governmental organizations who have been in custody for two months. Two days ago, the court extended their detention for another 30 days, Serbian media reported, BTA reports.
One of the detainees - high school teacher Marija Vasic from the “Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj“ school - has declared a hunger strike in protest against the court decision. She is refusing to accept food and water.
The demonstration became tense. Protesters attempted to block the four entrances to the court and clashed with police. According to H1 TV, pepper spray was used against some of the protesters. Citizens chanted “Serbia!“ and “Let them all go!“.
The six activists, affiliated with the organizations “Movement of Free Citizens“ and “Students Against Authoritarian Rule“, have been detained on charges of violating the constitutional order. The indictment is based on an audio recording broadcast in pro-government media on March 14, the day before a large-scale anti-government protest in Belgrade.
The detainees' lawyers claim that the recording was obtained through illegal wiretapping by the Serbian Security and Information Agency and cannot be accepted as valid evidence in court.
The protests are part of a wider wave of social discontent that began after the tragedy of November 1 last year, when a canopy at the Novi Sad railway station collapsed and claimed the lives of 16 people. Students and citizens blame corrupt practices and poor-quality repairs for the incident and demand political and criminal responsibility.
Since then, Serbia has been witnessing mass protests, civil disobedience and blockades of universities - about 60 faculties across the country. In early May, student movements called for early parliamentary elections and announced that they would not run, but would support independent civic candidates who had not previously participated in political life.