A disturbing incident unfolded today as students from Niš reported that two of their colleagues, Mateja Nikolić and Luka Đorđević, were forcibly detained by police in front of the National Assembly in Belgrade—and their whereabouts remain unknown.
According to the Self-Organized Informal Group of Students, “The policemen in plainclothes put them in a car, from where all traces of them are lost,” signaling a blatant abuse of power by the authorities.
Nikolić had earlier recorded a video on social media platform X showing himself being confronted by police for identification. The authorities claimed he was obstructing them and allegedly throwing objects, though eyewitnesses and students insist there was no justification for such treatment.
This alarming incident coincides with Diana Hrka’s ongoing hunger strike outside the National Assembly, demanding justice for her son, who died in the collapse of the Novi Sad railway station canopy on November 1 last year a tragedy met with government inaction.
For months, government supporters have maintained a tent settlement on the parliament plateau, effectively creating a protected zone where dissenters, students, and activists are harassed with impunity. Human rights observers argue that the government, under the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), is deliberately using state institutions, including the police, to intimidate and silence opposition voices.
The disappearance of Nikolić and Đorđević underscores the growing culture of fear, repression, and unchecked power in Serbia, raising urgent questions about accountability and the rule of law.
