Latest news with #antigovernment
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Serbia's protesters accuse police of brutality as they prepare to rally again on Friday
Serbia's police said Friday they have detained scores of demonstrators who took part in anti-government protests throughout the country this week. The arrests came amid reports of police brutality and excessive use of force during the riots. The three days of clashes between the police and loyalists of autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic on one side and the anti-government protesters on the other left dozens injured or detained. The unrest in the capital, Belgrade, and throughout Serbia this week marked a serious escalation of more than nine months of largely peaceful demonstrations led by Serbia's university students that have shaken Vucic's firm grip on power in the Balkan country. Another protest, under the slogan 'Let's show them we are not a punching bag,' is scheduled for Friday evening. The protests that have rattled Vucic first started in November after a renovated train station canopy collapsed in Serbia's north, killing 16 people. Many in Serbia blame the tragedy on alleged corruption-fueled negligence in state infrastructure projects. Several social media posts from this week show baton-wielding riot police beating people to the ground and then kicking them with their boots before they were handcuffed. The apparent targets were often women and young people. Serbia's Interior Minister Ivica Dacic denied Friday that police used excessive force, blaming the demonstrators for allegedly attacking the officers, who were protecting themselves with riot shields. 'The police were massively and brutally attacked without any provocation. There were violent attempts to breach the cordons,' Dacic said. 'Last night, 75 police officers were injured, and several vehicles were damaged. Those who spread lies about police brutality should comment on this fact.' Opposition leaders called for Dacic to be removed from office. 'They are beating up people on the streets,' said opposition leader Dragan Djilas. 'They also beat up politicians, literally anyone who opposes Aleksandar Vucic, with the clear goal of inflicting serious bodily harm on them.' Another social media video purported to show several young detainees kneeling with their faces to the wall as police officers stood to attention behind them. Some of the apparent detainees had bloodstains on their backs. The EU's Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos earlier this week said the reports of violence at the protests were 'deeply concerning.' Serbia is formally seeking EU membership, but Vucic has maintained strong ties with Russia and China. The Serbian president has faced accusations of stifling democratic freedoms while allowing organized crime and corruption to flourish. He has denied this.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Serbia police arrest dozens of anti-government protesters
Police fired tear gas at anti- government protesters Thursday evening in at least two Serbian cities, including the capital Belgrade and the northern city of Novi Sad. Anti-government protesters attacked the Novi Sad headquarters of the President Aleksandar Vucic's ruling Serbian Progressive Party, or SNS, smearning it with red paint and smashing windows. The police or Vucic's supporters, who have guarded the office for months, where nowhere to be seen, AP news agency reported. Police in full riot gear later cordoned off several blocks in the center of Novi Sad, Serbia's second biggest city, and used tear gas to disperse the protesters. In Belgrade, hundreds of protesters and SNS supporters threw flares and firecrackers at each other on one of the city's main boulevards. Earlier in the evening, anti-government protesters had headed towards SNS offices but were stopped by a heavy riot police deployment. At least five police officers were injured on Thursday evening and 14 protesters were arrested, Serbia's interior ministry said, according to AFP news agency. Serbia has seen several days of violence and clashes between the pro- and anti-government supporters. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said that protesters had gathered at some 90 locations across the country on Wednesday evening. Nearly 50 protesters were arrested on Wednesday and around 80 civilians and 30 riot police were injured, he said. Serbia seen months of student-led protests against corruption It is the latest escalation of thestudent-led demonstrations against Vucic's government that have gripped Serbia since November 2024. These were initially triggered by the collapse of a railway station roof in Novi Sad, which killed 16 people, and was widely blamed on the country's corruption. The protesters are now demanding that Vucic call an early election. Vucic has led the Balkan nation for than a decade as both prime minister and president. Under his leadership, Serbia has become increasingly authoritarian and corruption has flourished. Serbia ranks 105 out of 180 countries on Transparency International's 2024 corruption perception index. Vucic said on Thursday evening that there "will be more arrests" and accused the protesters of inciting violence and of being "enemies of their own country." Serbia cracks down on dissent The EU's Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said on social media that the reports of violence in Serbia, which is a candidate for EU membership, were "deeply concerning'. "Advancing on the EU path requires citizens can express their views freely and journalists can report without intimidation or attacks," Kos posted. A group of UN human rights experts in August noted a "troubling pattern of repression" in the government's response to the protests. "Peaceful demonstrators have reportedly faced intimidation, physical attacks, surveillance, and arrests, often without legal justification," the UN's human rights body OHCHR, said. Edited by: Zac Crellin
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Protesters in northern Serbia target governing party's HQ as clashes escalate
Thousands of protesters took to the streets across Serbia, smashing windows of the governing party's headquarters in the northern city of Novi Sad, where the country's antigovernment revolt started more than nine months ago. The protesters came out in force for a third night on Thursday, following major clashes earlier in the week that saw dozens detained or injured, demanding that President Aleksandar Vucic call an early election. In Novi Sad, where a train station canopy collapsed last year, killing 16 people and creating public anger over alleged corruption in infrastructure projects, protesters attacked the offices of the governing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), carrying away furniture and documents, and splashing paint on the entrance. 'He is finished,' they shouted, with reference to the president as they demolished the offices. The police and Vucic's supporters, who have guarded the office in Serbia's second-largest city for months, were nowhere to be seen. In Belgrade, the Serbian capital, hundreds of protesters and SNS supporters threw flares and firecrackers at each other on one of the city's main boulevards. Police fired tear gas at least two locations to disperse the protesters and keep the opposing camps apart. Similar protests were held in towns across the country. Vucic told pro-government Informer television that 'the state will win' as he announced a crackdown on antigovernment protesters, accusing them of inciting violence and of being 'enemies of their own country'. 'I think it is clear they did not want peace and Gandhian protests. There will be more arrests,' he said during the broadcast. He reiterated earlier claims that the protests have been organised from abroad, offering no evidence. The previous night, there were gatherings at some 90 locations in the country, according to Interior Minister Ivica Dacic the following day. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said that 47 people were arrested in Wednesday's clashes, with about 80 civilians and 27 police officers left injured. The EU's Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said on X that the reports of violence were 'deeply concerning'. 'Advancing on the EU path requires citizens can express their views freely and journalists can report without intimidation or attacks,' Kos said on X. The Serbian president denies allegations of allowing organised crime and corruption to flourish in the country, which is a candidate for European Union membership.
France 24
3 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Serbia's police intervene as ruling party supporters face off against anti-government protesters
Supporters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) threw flares and firecrackers at anti-government protesters in Novi Sad on Wednesday evening, prompting police to intervene to end the standoff, a major escalation of nine-month-long protests in Serbia. The student-led protests in Serbia first started in November after a train station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad, killing 16 people and triggering accusations of corruption in state infrastructure projects. Protests have since drawn hundreds of thousands of people, shaking President Aleksandar Vucic's firm grip on power. His supporters have recently started organising counter-demonstrations, fuelling fears of possible violence. At a news conference late on Wednesday, Vucic, flanked by Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, said 16 police officers and around 60 SNS backers have been injured in Novi Sad. He also accused unidentified foreign powers of orchestrating riots and pledged arrests. "Persons who violated the law will be apprehended ... Tonight, we have averted a catastrophic scenario planned by someone from abroad," he said. Vucic did not provide evidence to substantiate his allegations. Footage by private N1 TV showed flares and firecrackers being thrown at protesters in Novi Sad from the direction of the SNS offices. It also showed anti-government protesters, some with bloody faces, saying Vucic's backers used sticks and truncheons to attack them. Protesters then smashed office windows as riot police were deployed outside to guard the building. Opposition Move-Change movement said Vucic's loyalists have been responsible for the clashes. "Attacks on people with pyrotechnic devices violate their right to life and protest," it said in a statement. Tens of thousands of protesters rally against populist Serbian government 01:42 In the capital city of Belgrade, police in full riot gear blocked anti-government protesters from approaching the area in a park near the parliament building where Vucic's supporters have been camping since March. Elsewhere in Belgrade, anti-government protesters clashed with police who prevented them from approaching local SNS offices. The protesters have blamed corruption for the Novi Sad railway roof collapse and have demanded early elections that they hope would remove Vucic and his party from power after 13 years. Students, opposition, and anti-corruption watchdogs have accused Vucic and his allies of ties to organised crime, violence against rivals and curbing media freedoms, something they deny. On Wednesday evening, students who are leading the protests called supporters to protest in front of SNS offices in major cities in Serbia, including Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac, Cacak and Nis, after several protesters were injured in clashes with SNS in the town of Vrbas on Tuesday evening.
Arab News
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Thousands gather in Dhaka as Bangladesh marks a year after Hasina's ouster
DHAKA: Thousands of Bangladeshis gathered in the capital on Tuesday to mark the first anniversary of the student-led uprising that ousted long-serving former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Hasina was removed from power on Aug. 5, 2024, when demonstrators defied a nationwide curfew and stormed her official residence, forcing her to flee to neighboring India, where she remained in exile. Her removal came following weeks of protests that began in early July 2024. What started as peaceful demonstrations over a controversial quota system for government jobs developed into a wider anti-government movement that was met with a violent crackdown against protesters by security forces that killed more than 1,000 people, mostly students. The end of her 15 years in uninterrupted power brought the formation of an interim government led by Nobel Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, who promised to restore stability and hold new elections after necessary reforms. 'Together, we will build a Bangladesh where tyranny will never rise again,' Yunus said in a message to the nation on Tuesday, as crowds in the capital, Dhaka, waved flags and used colored smoke to celebrate. A year on, Hasina, in her absence, now faces trial for crimes against humanity, while the prospect for a better and reformed Bangladesh remains a challenge. 'There is already high hope among the citizens of this country that the interim government could do much. But we have to consider the time frame. At the same time, we have to consider the reality on the ground,' Dr. A.S.M. Amanullah, political analyst and vice-chancellor of the National University, told Arab News. Although progress on institutional reforms promised by the interim government has been slow and fragmented, the country has recorded signs of economic recovery after the burden left by the previous Awami League party-led government, which accumulated more than $44 billion in foreign debt and oversaw widespread corruption that plagued the banking, infrastructure, energy and power sectors. 'People's hopes are valid … (but) the way the government handled the issue with 180 million people in the country is remarkable,' Amanullah said. The interim government 'should move to hold a free and fair election early next year, as early as possible,' he added. Despite calls for early polls, the Yunus administration has delayed elections, which may now take place between February and April 2026. While uncertainty about the future of democracy still looms large in Bangladesh, the country has witnessed in this past year a greater freedom of expression among the public, which was largely absent under Hasina's rule of extensive suppression of dissent, electoral manipulation and restricted press freedom. 'The people of Bangladesh can speak freely, can run freely, they can move freely without fear. There is no fear of extrajudicial killing. There is no fear of abduction,' Amanullah said. In a report published on July 30, New York-based Human Rights Watch said 'some of the fear and repression' and 'abuses such as widespread enforced disappearances' that marked Hasina's rule 'appear to have ended.' For Mahmudur Rahman, editor of Bengali-language daily Amar Desh, this was Bangladesh's 'biggest' achievement. 'We can speak freely, the people can vent their anger. They can criticize the government without any fear of government persecution. And the media is free; media also can criticize the government,' he told Arab News. But priority must be placed on holding elections that 'will be accepted by the people of Bangladesh' and the international community, Rahman said. 'We should return to the democratic system … without any further delay,' he added. 'It's better to let a political government take over and we'll see where the country goes from there.' Despite numerous unresolved issues, Bangladeshis believe that unity will be central to the future of their country. 'Most important for the people of the country is to unite against fascism,' Rahman said. 'They should uphold the spirit of the July Revolution and they should unite in a way that never again another fascist regime should come to power in any form.' Amanullah from Bangladesh's National University echoed the sentiment. 'At this moment, the most important thing for Bangladesh is to be united,' he said. 'This should be the most priority concern for the country. If they remain united, Bangladesh will see a light at the end of the tunnel.'
