Veljko Petrović, a student at the Faculty of Technical Sciences (FTN) in Novi Sad, was released on the evening of April 29, after the court rejected the prosecution's proposal to order his detention for up to 30 days.
An FTN student was arrested on charges of physically assaulting the Dean of the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, Patrick Dryd, on April 28th.
A protest by students and citizens, who loudly supported Petrović, began in front of the judicial building in Novi Sad at 17 p.m.
When he came out, Veljko Petrović was greeted with thunderous applause and shouts of "Veljko, Veljko".
He thanked everyone for their support and said that it meant a lot to him during the hearing, and that they brought him "to the brink of tears."
"I hope justice will prevail at some point, there is so much ahead of us, now we have to pump harder than ever," said Petrović, to which the crowd chanted "Pump!", Beta reported.
Previously, one of the students came out to the crowd and announced that Petrović had been released, which caused a stormy reaction and shouts of "Victory".
As she specified, he was banned from approaching witnesses, as well as DIF Dean Patrik Drid. After the check, the crowd chanted "Whoever doesn't jump is Patrik."
During the hearing, the gathered students and citizens held open doors and made noise, and after dark, they turned on the lights on their mobile phones.
"Gangs, murderers, the streets will judge you!" they shouted when they learned that the prosecutor had proposed that Petrović be remanded in custody.
On April 28, the police used force at a protest in front of the Novi Sad Faculty of Sports and Physical Education (DIF) in a blockade - in an attempt to remove students and citizens, gathered at their call, from the entrance to the faculty building.
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Several people gathered at that protest were injured in the police action, including students, professors, and opposition activists.
The students in the blockade said in a statement that the police "used excessive force without justifiable reason" and condemned such actions.
Students called for a protest in front of the college to prevent Dean Patrick Dryde from ending a months-long blockade of the college.
Gendarmerie and riot police units in riot gear were in front of the faculty at the request of the dean. He wanted to enter the building, claiming that the students were denying him his right to work.
Footage posted on social media shows police beating the crowd with batons, pushing and hitting them with shields, and police units also using pepper spray.
Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić rejected the students' claims of excessive use of force, saying that "the police used minimal force, only after being attacked."
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