Serbian students on Monday ended a two-week blockade of the public broadcaster’s offices in Belgrade, after lawmakers met one of their demands by calling for the election of members of a media regulatory body.
Serbia has been experiencing months of student-led protests, sparked by the deaths of 16 people when the roof of a railway station collapsed in the city of Novi Sad in November.
The tragedy ignited long-standing anger over corruption and the alleged lack of oversight in construction and development projects.
Hundreds of students, supported by citizens and leaders from several universities, had blocked two offices of Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) in the capital since April 14—the main headquarters in Belgrade and a studio.
They also briefly blocked Radio Television of Vojvodina (RTV) in Novi Sad, though that blockade lasted only one day.
The students accused the national broadcasters of ignoring their protests and demanded public-interest reporting and a transparent election of the members of the media regulatory body.
Earlier on Monday, a parliamentary commission called for elections for members of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM).
“The blockade of RTS is over,” the students wrote on Instagram, while others chanted “Victory, victory!” and danced in front of the RTS office in Belgrade, according to an AFP reporter.
“It’s not a complete victory. However, we partially achieved our goal,” Nada Bokaterević, an economics student, told AFP.
The protests have increased pressure on the government of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, leading to the resignation of several top officials, including the prime minister.
Vučić has alternated between calling for dialogue and accusing the students of attempting to stage a “color revolution.”
