More Baseless Arrests: Escalating Repression Breeds Fiercer Resistance in Serbia
30 days of detention have been ordered for nine residents of the western city of Užice following protests during which citizens broke through the police cordon. Ahead of the St. Vitus protest on June 28, police detained eight other individuals and accused them of planning to potentially "undermining the constitutional order" – in other words, terrorism. Seven of them received the same sentence as those from Užice. In total, 16 people are currently behind bars, three of whom are students. Through this move, the Serbian government demonstrated its intent to again apply the methods it used in Novi Sad, where six activists were detained on similar charges in March 2025. However, as it turns out, the public’s response to such heightened repression and oppression is heightened resistance.
30 days of detention have been ordered for nine residents of the western city of Užice following protests during which citizens broke through the police cordon. Ahead of the St. Vitus protest on June 28, police detained eight other individuals and accused them of planning to potentially “undermining the constitutional order” – in other words, terrorism. Seven of them received the same sentence as those from Užice. In total, 16 people are currently behind bars, three of whom are students. Through this move, the Serbian government demonstrated its intent to again apply the methods it used in Novi Sad, where six activists were detained on similar charges in March 2025. However, as it turns out, the public’s response to such heightened repression and oppression is heightened resistance.
