Surge in misdemeanour charges against protesters raises legal concerns in Serbia

Journalist Darko Gligorijevic was detained for 24 hours in early June after filming a clash between student groups in the courtyard of the Student City complex in Belgrade. Although he recorded the incident as a reporter for Zoomer, police charged him with disturbing public order under Article 7 of the Law on Public Order and Peace.

"The videos I recorded are my defence. You can't hear me shouting at all. I was filming the event, not participating," Gligorijevic said.

In Kragujevac, a student received a fine for allegedly walking on the road during a protest. Stanisa Lukic claims he crossed a pedestrian walkway and wasn’t even at the location during the time cited in the ticket.

“This was a protest. Everyone was walking on the road. If that’s illegal, then the police guarding the protests should fine themselves too,” Lukic stated.

Pancevo residents also protested after reports that some individuals received up to six misdemeanour citations.

Attorney Jovan Rajic advised citizens not to accept guilt if they believe they did nothing wrong: “Like in criminal cases, if you’re innocent, you don’t plead guilty.”

Lawyer Nikola Lakic emphasised that many protests were not officially banned, making the legal basis for the charges questionable. “These procedures will likely end with acquittals,” he said.

He also stressed that citizens still have the constitutional right to protest, even without prior police approval.