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Six students and activists are languishing in prison, a warrant has been issued for six of them for an alleged attack on the constitutional order. The students in the blockade demand the immediate release of all political prisoners and that the states stop unjustified repressive measures
On platform X, the blockaded students issued a statement calling on all students, professors, academics and citizens to show solidarity with their arrested colleagues.
They demand the immediate release of all "unjustly arrested activists and an end to the repressive measures directed against those who stand for justice and truth."
Students in the blockade point out that "only with joint efforts can we build a society based on justice, freedom and respect for human rights".
— Studenti_U_Blokade (@studentblokade) April 19, 2025
Novi Sad process
This announcement refers, above all, to the so-called "Novi Sad Process", on charges of attacking the constitutional order based on the obviously illegal wiretapped conversation of twelve activists in the premises of the PSG.
That video was broadcast on the evening of March 13 on five pro-government television stations, and the following day six students and activists were arrested: sociology student Mladen Cvijetić, FTN student Davor Stefanović, student of Serbian language and literature Srđan Đurić, activist of the Novi Sad student movement "Stav" Lazar Dinić, Zmaj Jovina Gymnasium teacher Marija Vasić and graduate professor of sports and physical culture and marketing expert Lad Jovović was remanded in custody for up to 30 days.
On the morning of March 13, six participants in the disputed, secretly recorded conversation - Mila Pajić, Branislav Đorđević, Anja Pitulić, Jovana Dražić, Doroteja Antić and Dejan Bagarić - had traveled to the Human Rights Festival "Znadu" in Dubrovnik, where their participation in one of the forums called "Pump!" had been previously arranged.
On April 9, the High Court in Novi Sad ordered a one-month detention for six students and activists who are absent, and who are suspected of the criminal offense of attacking the constitutional system of Serbia. A warrant has been issued for them.
Since the publication of the controversial video, the regime media and politicians headed by Aleksandar Vučić have been making noise about some kind of "terrorists", that is, they are talking about the student protests as a violent attempt to seize power.
Illegal evidence
The defenders of 12 students and activists asked the judge for preliminary proceedings of the High Court in Novi Sad to separate from the case file evidence that cannot be used in criminal proceedings, because it was not collected in accordance with the law, and that after that they should all be released from custody.
"Namely, the disputed evidence was marked as strictly confidential, but after the defense, only after a two-week wait, was allowed to view the file, it was concluded that the evidence was not obtained in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure and that as such it cannot be used in the criminal procedure," one of the defense attorneys, lawyer Veljko Milić, told the Beta agency.
He added that the defense attorneys expect that the disputed evidence will be separated from the file because otherwise conducting a criminal proceeding in accordance with this evidence would constitute a dangerous precedent, which would seriously threaten the human rights of not only the defendants in this proceeding, but also of all future persons who find themselves in a situation where evidence against them is collected outside the Code of Criminal Procedure.
"After this evidence is separated from the file, I expect that the court will let all the defendants defend themselves from freedom because there is no evidence in the file that supports the well-founded suspicion that any criminal offense was committed," Milić said.
Without any evidence of criminal terrorism
The state does not have any valid evidence that the detainees from the Movement of Free Citizens and the student organization "Stav" had terrorist intentions, that is, that they intended to overthrow the constitutional order, which is suspected, "Vreme" previously wrote.
It would therefore be logical and fair to expect the six arrested to be immediately released from custody in the Novi Sad suburb of Klisi, known for its inhumane living conditions and cannibalistic bedbugs.
There is no doubt that these are political prisoners. Their guilt consists in the fact that they allowed the BIA or someone else to illegally "record" their conversation a few days before the big rally in Belgrade held on March 15. Then, the regime televisions made a real sensation out of that conversation, which looks like a bar chatter. It came to them like an ace in ten, to confirm the claims that the students and citizens who have been demonstrating for months all over Serbia are actually terrorists who want to come to power by force.
Prosecutor Slobodan Josimovic
The prosecutor leading the case is Slobodan Josimović, the same one who is also leading the "Canopy" case. His goal, some claim, is to hide many more things than reveal them during the process for the Novi Sad tragedy.
That the state in the case of the so-called The Novi Sad group's problem with evidence is clearly indicated by the fact that the prosecutor prevented the defense attorneys from accessing evidence for a long time. In the end, they were granted access, but the key part was declared "top secret" material. The fact that it is "strictly confidential" is exactly what the citizens of Serbia had the opportunity to hear on television with a national frequency.
Legal experts say that, even if by some miracle it was made in accordance with the law, the video cannot be used in criminal proceedings. That would not be in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Law. Namely, an audio-recording in criminal proceedings can only be relevant if serious procedures are followed, given that the possibilities of abuse and manipulation are very high.
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