Overview

• Police detained 79 university students and other protesters in operations to clear blockades across Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis and Novi Pazar.
• Protesters have erected nightly road blockades using bins and fencing to demand a snap parliamentary election and an end to President Vucic’s 12-year rule.
• Authorities deny excessive force, but witnesses reported baton and shield attacks that hospitalized several students.
• The European Union delegation and the U.N. human rights office called for restraint, respect for assembly rights and transparent investigations into brutality claims.
• President Aleksandar Vucic has rejected calls for early elections, denouncing the protests as “terror” and accusing organizers of undermining the state.