SR

Protests in Serbia

Serbia's largest protest movement in decades erupted in late 2024, triggered by the collapse of a canopy at Novi Sad's railway station that killed 16 people. What began as grief and demands for accountability grew into sustained, nationwide mobilization - with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets and students blockading universities across the country. The authorities' response combined attempts to discredit the movement with systematic repression: protesters were attacked, prosecuted, and surveilled, while those responsible for violence faced little or no accountability. CRTA documents the protests, the response, and the democratic stakes of what unfolded.
Student demands
July

On 20 July 2026, the Ministry of Education announced an extraordinary inspection into the procedure for amending the University of Belgrade Statute, following media reports of alleged irregularities in a Council vote on changing how a candidate for rector is elected. The move raises the question of where lawful inspection oversight ends and constitutionally guaranteed university autonomy begins: while the inspection may oversee the work of the University's bodies, the adoption and amendment of the statute fall within the university's protected right to self-organisation.
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Interpol notified Serbian authorities that it would not issue international arrest warrants against six of the twelve Novi Sad students and activists charged with preparing acts against the constitutional order, a group that has spent sixteen months abroad in political exile. The organisation, which does not act in matters of a political character, assessed the case as political in nature. The report reached the Higher Court in Novi Sad and the defence, which announced it would again seek to lift the detention and the warrants so the six could return and attend their own trial.
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On 17 July 2026, the Ministry of Interior, acting on the order of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, filed a criminal complaint against military analyst Aleksandar Radić - who first raised the sound cannon claim in March 2025 - alleging he endangered Serbia's constitutional order and disclosed classified data. Radić left the country on 24 June 2026; prosecutors have requested his detention and an international arrest warrant. His seized communications show a shifting account of the alleged device and contact with MP Zdravko Ponoš.
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Update
Education inspection into University of Belgrade statute change tests the limits of university auton...
Following reports about a proposed change to the rector-election rule, the Ministry of Education announced an extraordinary inspection - raising the question of where oversight ends and university autonomy begins.
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Update
Interpol refuses Serbia’s arrest warrants for exiled Novi Sad activists, citing political case
Interpol will not issue international warrants against six students and activists in exile, assessing the case as political - a decision that places Serbia's prosecution in a markedly different context.
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Update
Military analyst charged over sound cannon claims, sought after leaving Serbia
Aleksandar Radić, who first claimed a sound cannon was used on protesters, is charged with endangering the constitutional order and leaking secrets; prosecutors want him detained and sought internationally.
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Update
Andrej Tanko given suspended sentence, appeal announced
Court in Pančevo convicted ETF student Andrej Tanko of obstructing a police officer during a 2025 protest; his defense calls the verdict politically driven and will appeal.
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Update
MP questioned by police over tweet accusing Vučić of using a sound cannon
Zdravko Ponoš was questioned for ninety minutes over his March 2025 tweet on the alleged sound cannon, with police also asking about contact with military analyst Aleksandar Radić.
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Update
MEPs urge European Commission to halt prosecution of students and activists in Serbia
The signatories demand that Brussels publicly condemn the pressure, press Belgrade to drop the charges, and state clearly that targeting civil society is incompatible with EU accession
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Update
The interrogations begin: journalist, military analyst, and lawyer questioned over sound cannon stat...
Following last week's announcement by the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office, the interrogations have begun. The first to be questioned over their public statements about the use of a sound cannon at the March 15, 2025 protest were military analyst Aleksandar Radić, editor-in-chief of Srbin.info Dejan Zlatanović, and lawyer and politician Aleksandar Olenik.
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Update
Targeting the witnesses: prosecutors go after those who spoke out about the sound cannon
Fifteen months after the sound cannon incident at Serbia's largest-ever protest on 15 March 2025, the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade has announced a significant escalation - not against those who allegedly deployed the weapon, but against the protesters, student organizers, doctors, and public figures who reported on it.
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Update
Council of Europe Commissioner warns of deteriorating human rights in Serbia
Following a four-day visit to Serbia, Commissioner Michael O'Flaherty concluded that the human rights situation has worsened since his previous visit in April 2025, citing mounting pressure on journalists, civil society, and protesters, and a deepening climate of impunity.
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CRTA.Plus is part of CRTA’s work to document developments related to democracy, the rule of law, and accountability in Serbia.
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Key Issues
Slučajevi
Elections & Voting Integrity
Civil Society Resilience
Protests in Serbia
Institutions & Oversight
Media & Information Space
Other pages
Slučajevi
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