site.btaRepresentatives of Five Serbian Opposition Parties Call for Sanctions Against President Vucic over Police Violence

Addressing members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, representatives of five opposition parties from Serbia called for sanctions to be imposed on President Aleksandar Vucic and other high-ranking state officials over the use of police force during anti-government protests, Radio Free Europe reported. 

Biljana Dordevic, co-chair of the Green-Left Front, stated that they are demanding a clear condemnation of police violence against protesters during the ongoing demonstrations.

The anti-government protests, now in their tenth month, are calling for accountability over the deaths of 16 people caused by the collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad railway station on November 1 last year. Protesters accuse the police of brutality in dispersing demonstrations, an accusation the authorities deny.

At the same time, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has refused to call early parliamentary elections, which had been demanded back in May by students who blocked over 60 university faculties across the country.

During the panel discussion titled "Serbia: Democracy at a Crossroads", Dordevic said that they are calling for sanctions against President Vucic, Prime Minister Duro Macut, Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic, and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic.

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Duric responded to the call in Belgrade, telling Serbian media that the appeals for sanctions "harm Serbia."

He said that the opposition parties are "various propagandists in the region" who want to portray Serbia in an undemocratic light.

Members of the European Parliament are discussing the wave of violence and the continued use of force against protesters in Serbia during a plenary session in Strasbourg today, with participation from representatives of the European Commission and the EU Council.

The debate was added to the agenda at the initiative of the political group of Socialists and Democrats.