Serbian police used teargas and crowd control vehicles in Belgrade on Friday evening to disperse anti-government protesters who threw firecrackers and flares at officers, marking a sharp escalation in the nine-month-long demonstrations.
Protesters gathered at around 8 p.m. local time in front of the army headquarters building that was bombed by NATO in 1999. Hours later, they began throwing flares at police. Trash containers were overturned and set on fire, and one tree caught fire. Police deployed teargas to push the crowd back.
Demonstrations also took place in Novi Sad, Nis, Kragujevac and Valjevo. Teargas was used in Nis. No official figures were released on the number of injured.
The protests began after 16 people died when a roof collapsed at a renovated railway station in Novi Sad. The gatherings had been largely peaceful until Wednesday when clashes left 27 police officers and about 80 civilians injured. Forty-seven people were detained.
President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday that 3,000 police are deployed each evening across Serbia and that they are facing assaults and injuries.
Protesters have accused the government of corruption over the Novi Sad disaster and are calling for early elections. Opposition groups, students and anti-corruption watchdogs allege links between Vucic and organised crime, the use of violence against rivals, and media suppression. The president and his allies deny the allegations.
Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Michael O'Flaherty said he was closely following events in Serbia and voiced concern over human rights issues. He condemned what he described as disproportionate police force in Valjevo and urged authorities to avoid excessive force, end arbitrary arrests and de-escalate the situation.
Journalist and International Affairs Commentator, Tom Gross, joined AnewZ from Tel Aviv to tell us why he thinks the attack happened now and whether t...
Follow the latest developments and global reaction after the United States and Israel launched "major combat operations" in Iran, prompting retaliatio...
Following the U.S.-Israel strikes, Iran has called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council to be held on Monday (2 March), and vo...
The international reaction to the U.S. and Israel’s strikes on Iran came in fast and strong....
Governments across the region responded swiftly to Israel’s strikes on Iran, closing airspace, issuing travel advisories and activating contingency ...
Following the U.S.-Israel strikes, Iran has called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council to be held on Monday (2 March), and vowed strong retaliation to the attacks. Touraj Shiralilou sent this update from Tehran.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are escalating, with Washington ordering a significant military build-up in the region and multiple countries evacuating diplomatic staff amid fears of further instability.
Speaking during a closed-door deposition in New York on Thursday (February), former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she did not “recall” ever meeting the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and had “no knowledge of his crimes”.
Pakistan’s declaration of an “open war” with Afghanistan must be understood in the context of months of escalating violence, regional analysts have said, describing the latest developments as a significant shift in the nature of the conflict.
Follow the latest developments and global reaction after the United States and Israel launched "major combat operations" in Iran, prompting retaliation from Tehran.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are escalating, with Washington ordering a significant military build-up in the region and multiple countries evacuating diplomatic staff amid fears of further instability.
Two people were killed and around 40 injured when a tram derailed in central Milan on Friday (27 February), a spokesperson for the local fire service said.
Pakistani air strikes hit a weapons depot on the western outskirts of Kabul overnight, triggering hours of secondary explosions that rattled homes across the Afghan capital and left residents fearing further violence.
Iran’s top diplomat said that the next round of nuclear talks is expected in less than a week after what he described as “progress in the most serious exchanges” between Tehran and Washington. The statement follows the third round of nuclear talks on Thursday (26 February) in Geneva.
A senior Iranian official has warned Israel to “prepare for what is coming”, insisting that Tehran’s response to the latest escalation in the Middle East will be made openly and without limits.
Cuba has released extensive details of a deadly midweek shootout at sea, showing rifles, pistols and nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition that it says were carried by a group of exiles who attempted to enter the island by speedboat.
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers said on Friday (27 February) they were ready to negotiate after Pakistan bombed their forces in several Afghan cities, including Kabul and Kandahar, and Islamabad declared the neighbours were now in "open war".
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are escalating, with Washington ordering a significant military build-up in the region and multiple countries evacuating diplomatic staff amid fears of further instability.
Two people were killed and around 40 injured when a tram derailed in central Milan on Friday (27 February), a spokesperson for the local fire service said.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment