Six activists—Marija Vasić, Srđan Đurić, Mladen Cvijetić, Lado Jovović, Davor Stefanović, and Lazar Dinić—detained for seven months on fabricated charges of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order, have released an open letter condemning the deepening tyranny in Serbia. The activists, members of the Movement of Free Citizens (PSG) and the student group STAV, describe a country where dissent is criminalized and the regime operates like a cartel, ruling through fear and intimidation.
“Repression has only grown worse, dictatorship even stronger,” they write. “Detention was brutal, but your support gave us strength. Outside, the regime spreads lies, targets activists, and crushes anyone who dares oppose it—but we know there are still honorable people fighting for justice.”
The letter calls out Serbia’s regime as fragile yet ruthless, emphasizing the arbitrary detention of political opponents and the regime’s reliance on intimidation rather than law. They singled out Radivoje Jovović, still imprisoned, and Bojan Terzić as victims of the state’s vindictive machinery, and praised activists, cultural figures, and artists who resisted state propaganda.
The upcoming trial, scheduled for November 24, is framed as another attempt by the regime to suppress dissent. The “Novi Sad Six” demand a suspension of proceedings and full acquittal, insisting that truth and justice must prevail even under a government that weaponizes the courts against its citizens.
The activists concluded their letter with a defiant message of solidarity:
“Support for the student movement, solidarity with Dijana Hrka, with the family of Milomir Jaćimović, we stand with Radivoje Jovović, Bogdan Jovicičić, and all other political prisoners. We stand with our comrades from STAV in exile. Just as others fought for us, we must fight for freedom and justice for them, and all other victims of this inhumane regime. We leave no one behind. Today it’s us, tomorrow anyone. Until victory.”
This open letter exposes the Serbian state for what it has become: a dictatorship that crushes opposition, silences truth, and seeks to maintain power through fear, harassment, and repression. The case of the “Novi Sad Six” is a stark reminder that in Serbia today, standing for justice is treated as a crime.
