Serbian activist Vasić in hunger strike: protest against injustice!

Serbian activist Vasić in hunger strike: protest against injustice!

Novi Sad, Serbien - Marija Vasić, a well -known Serbian activist and professor, started a hunger strike on May 13, 2025, defiance of her current circumstances. On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, she was put under house arrest by decision of a court in Novi Sad. This measure also affects two other activists from the oppositional party of Free Citizens (PSG) and the StAV student group, which were arrested in Novi Sad in mid -March. The situation is tense and the arrests are related to protests that are borne in particular by students.

Vasić was arrested on March 15 with five other people just a few days before a large protest rally in Belgrade. The accusation against the group is to act against the constitutional order and security of Serbia. Behind these accusations there are presumably secret discussions by the Serbian secret service Bia, which serve as evidence, but have been illegally collected, according to lawyers. The indictment also includes six other activists who are currently abroad. These arrests and the circumstances all around are surrounded by a broad legal and public dispute over the legitimacy and fairness of the procedure.

political detention and international reactions

The legal steps against Vasić and the other detainees have not only caused turmoil in Serbia. Vasić's defender, Aleksandar Petrović, describes the situation as an example of political persecution and describes the activists as the only political prisoners in Europe. He emphasizes that the conditions under which they are recorded are catastrophic. The detainees report overcrowding and vermin infestation in the cells.

The European Parliament has called for the activists release in a recently accepted resolution, while the Serbian government only hesitates to the allegations. After the broadcast of a conversation on planned student protests, the arrests were made, and the legal basis of these measures are classified by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International. According to Amnesty, imprisoned political prisoners are considered a central topic, since the legitimacy of such imprisonment depends on a fair and public procedure.

consequences of political detention

The topic of political detention goes beyond the individual level. Dr. In his research, Christoph Valentin Steinert emphasizes that such detainees not only distort the political landscape, but also have long -term destabilizing effects on autocratic governments. The outrage over these detains, such as it was observed in the GDR or in Iran, often leads to mass protests and can strengthen opposition networks.