The organizers of the protest in Belgrade against lithium mining, Zlatko Kokanović and Nebojša Petković, have announced that before the August 10 rally, they were summoned for an interview by the Security and Information Agency of Serbia (BIA).
They revealed on their Facebook page that they were released after a brief conversation and were warned that the anticipated blockades following the protest are illegal and that they should prepare for consequences.
“I think that informing the public saved us from a long detention,” Petković said in a video address.
He stated that they are organizing a peaceful protest, that the blockades are nothing new, and that they have no intention of entering institutions.
“They have arrested people in Subotica and other places,” Petković added.
Protests against lithium mining have been held in several cities in Serbia for a few weeks, with the main rally scheduled for the evening of Saturday in downtown Belgrade.
Protesters consider August 10 as a deadline for the Serbian government to pass a law permanently banning geological exploration and exploitation of lithium in Serbia.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić told reporters on August 9 that “Russian security services have warned of preparations for mass disturbances in Serbia, with the main aim being a coup and the overthrow of the state leadership.”
The protest organizers, from environmental protection organizations, have invited citizens to what they have described as a peaceful gathering.
They believe that lithium extraction would cause irreversible environmental damage.
The new wave of protests comes after the Serbian government’s decision on July 16 to advance the lithium mining project in the Jadar Valley, which had been suspended in 2022.
On July 19, the government signed a “Critical Raw Materials Memorandum” with the European Union in Belgrade, which includes a complete production chain—from the lithium mine in Jadar to the production of batteries for electric cars.
