BELGRADE: Serbian anti-government protesters accused police on Tuesday of beating and threatening detained activists, fuelling fears of a spiralling crackdown after a week of violent clashes. Almost daily protests have gripped Serbia since November, sparked by the collapse of a railway station roof that killed 16 people.
The tragedy became a symbol of deep-rooted corruption in the Balkan nation, with demands for a transparent investigation morphing into calls for early elections. But in the past week, the mostly peaceful demonstrations have erupted into street violence over several nights, with loyalists of President Aleksandar Vucic attacking protesters.
Nikolina Sindjelic, a student activist, said she was dragged along with another student and several other protesters into a government garage in central Belgrade by officers in a special police unit on Thursday night. "The commander of the unit brutally beat both him and me," the 22-year-old political science student said.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs "strongly denied" the allegations. It said Sindjelic was arrested for being part of a group that had attacked government buildings and police. "Throughout the entire procedure, no means of coercion, handcuffing, insults, or any form of mistreatment were applied," it said.
Hundreds gathered in front of the accused commander's police building in Belgrade on Tuesday to support Sindjelic and decry widespread reports of police brutality. While the protests have so far led to the resignation of the prime minister and the collapse of the government, Vucic has remained defiant. He has repeatedly rejected calls for early elections and recently threatened a "strong response" to the demonstrations. "This is an attempt at a foreign-funded colour revolution, in which no means are spared, and violence is used in a bid to seize power," he said on Monday night. He has frequently decried the movement as a "colour revolution" — a term favoured by the Kremlin and its allies to smear protest movements as illegitimate. — AFP
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