Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić has questioned the arrest of Radivoje Stojković, principal of the Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Gymnasium in Novi Sad, alleging that parts of the judiciary may be seeking to gain favor with the incoming authorities by targeting their political opponents.
Stojković was detained for up to 48 hours on suspicion of failing to comply with a court ruling ordering the reinstatement of an employee, according to information cited by Brnabić following an announcement by the prosecution in Bačka Palanka.
In a statement posted on the social media platform X, Brnabić called on the competent authorities to explain why detention had been imposed and whether comparable cases were being handled equally.
“Enforcing court decisions is an obligation, but every deprivation of liberty must have a specific legal justification,” she wrote.
Brnabić said she was limiting her comments to Stojković’s case for the time being, adding that she would soon address what she described as more serious information concerning possible actions against other individuals.
She claimed that the information raised serious suspicions that parts of the judiciary were attempting to curry favor with the new authorities by acting against their political opponents.
“As a member of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), I insist on equal rights and equal standards for everyone,” Brnabić said.
She warned that a judiciary acting outside the law or following political instructions would threaten the freedoms of all citizens, regardless of their political affiliation.
Brnabić also accused the incoming authorities of undermining judicial independence before formally taking power, describing the arrest as a dangerous precedent and what she called “revolutionary terror rather than the rule of law.”
Her statements represent her allegations and political assessment; the reported detention itself concerns a suspected failure to comply with a court decision.
Stojković’s detention was ordered for a period of up to 48 hours. The case comes amid heightened political tensions in Serbia following the parliamentary election victory of the student-backed Students’ List and the expected transition to a new government.
