On the night of January 13, 2025, unidentified attackers assaulted students who were occupying the Faculty of Law at the University of Belgrade as part of a protest to demand better governmental accountability.
Seven students sustained minor injuries after the attackers threw bottles and glass at them and physically assaulted several occupants. Authorities announced that seven people were detained for the attack on the students. According to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ivica Dacic, the arrested people include university students from other faculties and two high school students.
The blockade of the Faculty of Law occurred against the backdrop of the nationwide anti-corruption movement, “Stop, Serbia,” to demand better governmental accountability in the wake of the deadly collapse of the Novi Sad railway station canopy, which killed 16 people in November 2024. The movement’s demands included: transparency in the reconstruction of the railway station, the dismissal of charges against students arrested and detained at demonstrations, the filing of criminal charges against those responsible for violence against protesting students and professors, and a 20 percent increase in the budget for higher education institutions.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about a violent attack on students exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly. Students and members of the public must refrain from violence, especially on campus, and respect the right to freedom of association and freedom of expression, and university authorities must take reasonable measures to ensure safe conditions for living, learning, and expression for students. In addition to harm to the immediate victims, violent attacks on students undermine academic freedom and a democratic society generally.
Sources:
https://n1info.rs/vesti/tuzilastvo-cetvoro-privedenih-zbog-napada-na-studente-pravnog/
https://www.cdm.me/svijet/region/cetiri-osobe-privedene-zbog-napada-na-studente-pravnog-fakulteta-u-beogradu/
https://www.glasamerike.net/a/napad-na-studente-pravni-fakultet-privedene-cetiri-osobe-odredjeno-zadrzavanje-dacic-incident-nema-politicku-pozadinu/7937430.html