Judges, prosecutors, lawyers, citizens and students from across Serbia held a major protest today in front of the Constitutional Court, and later at the Faculty of Law, condemning the growing political pressure on the judiciary, especially over the past year.
The possibility of dismantling the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime, as well as the recent case in which police refused to assist a prosecutor in conducting an investigation at the tent settlement outside the National Assembly, were described as the “last straw.”
Protesters declared that “justice may be blind, but the judiciary is not — and we will defend it.”
Solidarity events were also held in Novi Sad in support of Professor Radivoje Jovović, while a warning strike has been announced for tonight at the National Theatre in Belgrade.
Students Announce March on December 9
Students of the Faculty of Law, who have been blocking the school for months, announced a protest march titled “365 Days of Seeking Justice.” It will begin at 19:00 on December 9, with a photography exhibition opening earlier at 18:00.
Their route includes key institutions they have confronted over the past year:
- the Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office,
- the Government of Serbia, where they will address former Law Faculty students now in power — Minister of Culture Nikola Selaković and Prime Minister Đura Macut,
- the Presidency on Andrićev Venac, where they will demand elections,
- the National Theatre,
- the University Rectorate,
- the RTS building,
- and finally, the Constitutional Court, which they called a “sleeping institution.”
They invited students from other faculties, as well as judges, prosecutors, professors and citizens, to join them.
16 Minutes of Silence and Minor Incident
A symbolic 16 minutes of silence was held in front of the Law Faculty.
During the silence, a woman in a nearby building played loud music and waved a Serbian flag from her window. Protest marshals asked her to turn the music down, and some citizens requested intervention from inspectors on site.
Key Speeches: A Direct Challenge to State Power
“We Are Defending the Entire Judiciary” — Lawyer Vladimir Terzić
Terzić stressed that the judiciary is under attack by those in power who seek to bend the law, intimidate prosecutors and judges, and create zones of impunity for themselves and their allies.
He quoted Professor Radomir Lukić:
“The state is a monopoly on violence and rules through fear via the army, police, prosecutors and often the courts.”
But today, he said, even Lukić could not have imagined a system where key positions in the army and police are filled with party loyalists, attempting to intimidate independent prosecutors and judges.
He called this political network “an organized criminal group.”
“Only the Guilty Fear a Working Prosecution” — Judge Aleksandar Trešnjev
Trešnjev said that those attacking the prosecution are precisely the ones who have committed crimes and now seek to delegitimize the institutions investigating them.
He added that the protest is not about defending individuals, but defending the legal obligation of prosecutors to file indictments when evidence exists.
“There Are No ‘Blocking Judges’ — Only People Doing Their Job” — Judge Vesna Danilović
Danilović accused the government of creating parallel legal systems through politically motivated lex specialis laws, comparing the practice to the illegal demolitions in Savamala.
She warned officials who believe they are “above the law”:
“If you have committed crimes, you will have to answer for them. Justice is blind, but the judiciary is not — and it never has been.”
“A Case of Constitutional Rot” — Professor Miodrag Jovanović
Professor Jovanović described the current situation as “constitutional decay”, where those in power openly trample the Constitution and the law, undermine public trust in institutions, and cross all legal boundaries to maintain their grip on power.
Former Supreme Court President: “Even Compared to Other Countries, This Is a Precedent”
Vida Petrović Škero said that the protest represents a historic moment, even by international standards, and stressed that the President of Serbia’s attacks on members of the judiciary have made a strong reaction necessary.
