Woman ‘threatened with rape and dragged to basement by police’ in Serbia protests

After almost a year of relatively peaceful demonstrations, Serbia nears a state of war.

Protests by students, teachers, workers and government opposition began last December after 16 people were killed on November 1 when the canopy of the main railway station in Novi Sad collapsed on them.

The tragedy was viewed as a consequence of deep-rooted corruption and institutional failure in the Balkan nation, leading to calls for early elections.

Since then, the persistent dissent has escalated into the most severe crisis since the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and Aleksandar Vučić came into power.

As pressure mounts, Vučić – an authoritarian leader famous in the Balkans for his ties to Vladimir Putin – unleashed his loyalists and riot police on the streets to clash with the protesters.

As many as 100 people have been detained over the past week, with many sharing their experiences of abuse of power.

Nikolina Sindjelic, a student activist, told AFP she was threatened with rape while in custody.

She accused Marko Krichak, the commander of the Unit for the Security of Certain Persons and Facilities (JZO), of sexually and physically abusing her.

Sindjelic recalled being dragged along with another student and several other protesters into a government garage in central Belgrade by officers in a special police unit on Thursday night.

The 22-year-old said: ‘The commander of the unit brutally beat both him and me.

‘He called us offensive names, told me I was a w***e and that he would rape me there in front of everyone, that I would regret trying to overthrow the state.’

Her story was confirmed by several students who were also detained at the same time.

The Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs ‘strongly denied’ the allegations. It said the student was arrested for being part of a group that had attacked government buildings and police.

A statement said: ‘Throughout the entire procedure, no means of coercion, handcuffing, insults, or any form of mistreatment were applied.’

Sindjelic, who was released with a misdemeanour charge, said she intends to sue over her alleged abuse.

Hundreds gathered in front of the accused commander’s police building in Belgrade on Tuesday in support of the woman.

Protesters carried banners reading, ‘Rapists with badges’ and ‘The system beats us, we defend ourselves’.

Andrej Sevo, a 31-year-old protester, said: ‘We are now entering a spiral of violence, and I do not see how it can end well if things continue in this way.

‘They must decide how to act and calm the situation, rather than simply pouring fuel on the fire by sending in the police, with ever more brutal behaviour.’

Aleksandra Krstic, 45, also at the rally, stressed that women are especially vulnerable to police abuse.

The political science professor said: ‘We have no one to protect us.

‘If I go to a protest, I should be able to turn to the police… not be beaten, dragged into some basement of a government building, threatened with rape, and forced to beg them to stop.’

Rallies have been held in Belgrade, Valjevo, Novi Sad, Zrenjanin, Prijepolje, Niš, Kragujevac, and other, smaller places across the country, with people gathering in large numbers.

On Monday night, Vučić’s SNS office in Valjevo had its windows smashed by a passing crowd.

Within an hour, the leader stood in front of the shattered glass, flanked by pro-government media and security, to denounce the demonstrators as ‘terrorists’ – a familiar refrain for him.

The 55-year-old warned that ‘soon, the citizens will be freed from this terror and evil.’

In Valjevo, thousands of people clashed with riot police, pelting them with rocks and glass bottles.

Officers then unleashed multiple rounds of tear gas, striking people with their batons and hurling them to the ground.

Similar clashes also took place in Belgrade and the northern city of Novi Sad.

In response, Russia’s Foreign Ministry has offered its support to the pro-Kremlin, right-wing president.

It said in a statement that ‘we cannot remain unresponsive to what is happening in brotherly Serbia’.

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