Eight policemen were injured and 38 people were detained during and after the protest on Sunday evening in Belgrade, the Serbian police announced yesterday.
Thousands of people gathered in the center of the capital on Sunday to demand the annulment of parliamentary and local elections held on December 17, which international observers described as unfair.
Demonstrators tried to enter the Belgrade City Assembly, breaking windows, before police pushed them back using tear gas and batons.
The head of the Police Administration, Ivica Ivković, said yesterday that the police action was legal, and that the police did not attack anyone. He added that two of the eight wounded policemen received serious injuries.
Ivković said that the police prosecuted 38 people and that most of them are suspected of calling for a violent change in the constitutional order and violent behavior at a public meeting.
"Any violence, blockades of roads and bridges, which bring unrest and disturb the normal life of citizens, will not be tolerated. In accordance with the law, the police will implement all measures and actions, detain and prosecute all persons who cause these disturbances," said Ivković.
The American ambassador in Belgrade, Christopher Hill, said that violence and vandalism against state institutions have no place in a democratic society
Yesterday, the US State Department called on the authorities in Serbia to cooperate with the OSCE mission in investigating allegations of election irregularities, stressing that violence against journalists, observers and election officials is "unacceptable".
"We are focused on cooperation with Serbia on strengthening democratic government and the rule of law, improving regional cooperation, continuing economic growth and accelerating Serbia's progress on the way to membership in the European Union. The future of Serbia is in the West", it was stated in the written response of the State Department to the question of "Voice of America" about the new protests in Belgrade.
"We note with concern the findings of the ODIHR that the elections were marred by numerous procedural deficiencies, pressures on public officials and misuse of public resources, and that these factors, together with the systemic advantages of the ruling party, created unfair conditions," they stated and added that the US they call on Serbia to "closely cooperate with the OSCE to resolve these concerns".
The American ambassador in Belgrade, Christopher Hill, said yesterday that the legitimacy of democratic processes depends on transparency and the willingness of all parties to respect the electoral will of the people and that violence and vandalism of state institutions have no place in a democratic society. "In the hours and days ahead, the leaders of Serbia and its citizens should bear in mind that the legitimacy of democratic processes depends on the transparency and readiness of all parties, both winners and losers, to respect the will of the people expressed in the elections," Hill wrote on social network X.
After the elections, the largest opposition list "Serbia against violence" accused the government and the Serbian Progressive Party (SPS) of theft and called on supporters to protest. For the first six days, the protests in Belgrade were peaceful.
That coalition announced yesterday that "the regime of Aleksandar Vučić once again showed its true, violent face" by "not allowing city councilors and MPs to enter the Belgrade City Assembly", but "sent their hooligans to create incidents".
The announcement states that special units were sent against the citizens protesting because of stolen elections, which used brutal force, as evidenced by numerous videos.
Domestic and international observers reported irregularities during the election process, such as vote buying and bringing voters from abroad to vote in local elections. They also noted that the SNS gained an unfair advantage through the bias of the media and the inappropriate influence of President Vučić.
The government rejects all accusations as "lies" and claims that these elections were "the cleanest so far", and that the opposition wants to destroy the constitutional order.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said yesterday that third parties and foreign countries are trying to cause unrest in Belgrade.
"There is internal legislation, electoral bodies, there are also observers who did not record any violations that could cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election. In addition, there are processes and attempts by third powers, including foreign countries, to cause similar riots in Belgrade," he said at the summit in St. Petersburg.
Peskov added that he has no doubts that the Serbian leadership will ensure the rule of law in the country and that Russia has never and will not interfere in the internal affairs of any country, especially if it is an ally and partner like Serbia, TASS reported.
The Ambassador of Russia in Belgrade, Aleksandar Bocan-Kharchenko, assessed that the opposition protests in Serbia are organized and carried out in accordance with the principles and technologies of the "Maidan revolutions", which is the term used for the overthrow of the government by mass demonstrations, such as those in 2014 in the Kiev square. Maidan.
"The opposition started protests, which were encouraged and supported from abroad. Vučić talked about it, I cannot go into details, because it is confidential information. But he has irrefutable evidence that encouragement and support come from the West," said Bocan-Harchenko after yesterday's meeting with Vučić.
He stated that the West "intends to bring opposition forces to power" in Serbia, but that "no goals and schemes of the Maidan will succeed", the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.
"All dissatisfactions and attempts to shake Vučić's power are primarily related to his firm position on not joining the anti-Russian sanctions," said Bocan-Harchenko.
The president of the Movement of Free Citizens (PSG), Pavle Grbović, assessed that the use of force by the police at the protest was absolutely unacceptable, and that is why "empty stories" about "Majdan" are current every day.
He stated on the X social network that these stories appear to "hide the truth that Serbia is turning into Belarus."
"Chasing people through the streets, far from gathering places and beating citizens who absolutely in no way threatened public order and peace, property or anyone's safety is proof of bare police brutality," Grbović said.
Outgoing Prime Minister Ana Brnabić thanked the Russian security services, which "shared with their Serbian colleagues" the information about the planned activities of the opposition.
"That (my statement) will probably not be popular with those from the West," Brnabić said.
The Committee of Lawyers for Human Rights (JUKOM) announced that the police used violence against the citizens at the protest and that they disproportionately used coercive means. The committee stated that such behavior violates the basic rights of citizens to freedom and security, as well as the right to public assembly.
The Russian ambassador in Belgrade, Aleksandar Bocan-Kharchenko, said that the West "intends to bring opposition forces to power" in Serbia, but that "no Maidan goals and schemes will succeed."
A group of student activists protested yesterday in front of the Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-Government, demanding that the voter list be opened and revised, which the Ministry refused, stating that the list "has never been more organized".
Parliamentary candidate of the coalition "Serbia against violence" Srđan Milivojević stated that the "regime" of Aleksandar Vučić resorted to police brutality in defense of election theft.
Milivojević told the Beta agency that there is nothing in Serbia that Vučić did not resort to in order to stay in power and that the riots in front of the Assembly were caused, as he said, by hooligans from the recruitment center of the Government of Serbia.
"We also had a peaceful protest last night, of a non-violent nature, with the aim of Vladimir Obradović and the other candidates for city councilors addressing the citizens from the balcony of the Old Court. However, the police prevented us from doing so, and around 21:XNUMX p.m. mercenaries and hooligans from the recruitment center of the Government of Serbia, headed by Novak Nedic, joined the protest, whose goal was to provoke violence. Those hooligans also attacked protest participants who prevented them from breaking police vehicles and throwing stones at the Old Palace building," said Milivojević.
Evaluating the manner in which the police intervened, Milivojević said that they carried out orders directly from Vučić.
"The intervention of the police was unprecedentedly brutal, in accordance with the orders they received directly from Vučić. Even passers-by were beaten in Ulica Srpskih vladara. "The police also beat their colleague who was in civilian clothes at the protest," said Milivojević.
He added that the chairman of the board of the Party of Freedom and Justice from Grocka, Željko Vagić, had a broken leg from being beaten by the police.
The president of the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP), Dragan Đilas, said that no violence was planned, and that the citizens did not commit violence, but that it was "a group of hooligans that appeared".
Đilas stated that the "criminals" in question are Đorđe Prelić, the former leader of the Partizan fans, who was convicted of participating in the murder of the French fan Brice Taton in Belgrade.
Speaking about Ana Brnabić's statements that the state received information from the Russian intelligence service that such a protest could take place, Đilas assessed that the Russian services "control the Security and Information Agency (BIA) and the Serbian services".
"Aleksandar Vučić talks about a sovereign state, and then the Russian secret service operates in Serbia," said Đilas.
Yesterday, Vučić said that policemen and property of citizens in front of the Belgrade City Assembly were "brutally attacked by those who decided to destroy democracy in Serbia and the electoral will of the citizens" for almost three hours.
"From time to time it seems to me that not only our political opponents, but also their mentors from outside, think that in this country everyone is an idiot and that no one has eyes and ears and that no one understands what happened last night," he said. Vučić in a video address on Instagram.
He added that he will always be "with his people" and that he will defend and preserve democracy, peace and stability in Serbia.
In front of the headquarters of the Republic Election Commission (REC) in the center of Belgrade, the eighth protest was held last night due to the alleged election theft, organized by the opposition coalition "Serbia against violence", which demands the calling of new elections, both in Belgrade and throughout Serbia, and with MP Marinika Tepić, in the RIK headquarters, several more representatives of that coalition are on hunger strike.
The protest was joined by students who blocked key roads in the center of Belgrade until 18 p.m.
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