SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Starting July 1, 2026, SAR no longer publishes reports for the incidents that it records. SAR continues to monitor and record incidents that will be used in the annual Free to Think report. This page provides a record of incidents reported up to that date. Learn more about the Academic Freedom Monitoring Project.

Date of Incident: March 31, 2026

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances | Other

Institution(s):University of Belgrade

Region & Country:Europe | Serbia

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On March 31, 2026, Serbian police raided the Rectorate of the University of Belgrade and clashed with students protesting their arrival.

Under Serbian law, police are prohibited from entering university premises unless called to do so by university administrators. Serbian authorities justified their entry into the University of Belgrade as part of an investigation into the recent death of a student. On March 26, 2026, a 25-year-old student died after falling from a fifth-floor window at the Faculty of Philosophy. At 11:00 am on March 31, officers from the Criminal Police Directorate entered the University Rectorate without prior notification or a clear legal justification or scope.

Student protesters gathered outside the Rectorate shortly after the police entered, accusing the authorities of attempting to intimidate the academic community following more than a year of student-led anti-corruption protests. Violent clashes erupted when police used batons to disperse the crowds and clear the streets surrounding the building.

Following the incident, the Rector of the University of Belgrade, Vladan Đokić, affirmed the university’s support for an independent investigation into the student’s death while denouncing the raid on the Rectorate as unrelated and intended to humiliate the institution.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the entry into a higher education institution by military forces and the use of force against students nonviolently gathering on campus and exercising their rights to the freedom of expression. While security forces have a responsibility to maintain security and safety, they must also refrain from the disproportionate use of force and ensure that their actions do not endanger civilians. Unauthorized campus raids undermine academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://balkaninsight.com/2026/04/01/belgrade-university-police-raid-triggers-protests-and-clashes/bi/
https://n1info.rs/english/news/european-university-network-condemns-police-raid-on-university-of-belgrade/
https://trends-in-science.blogspot.com/2026/04/speech-of-rector-of-university-of.html