Thousands of Serbia’s striking university students protested in front of the country’s Supreme Court on Sunday to oppose what they assert are violations of civil rights under the ruling populist government, including intimidation and threats.

The protest commenced with thousands of people standing in silence for 15 minutes in commemoration for the victims of a railway station roof collapse in November of last year, which killed fifteen people and trigger daily anti-corruption rallies for months.

Since then, university classes have been suspended, with students demanding accountability from government officials, including Prime Minister Miloš Vučević and the mayor of Novi Sad, Milan Đurić.

The ongoing protests reflect an ongoing discontent with the rule of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, criticized for his increasingly autocratic rule. In an in-depth commentary in May 2023, the New York Times wrote of alleged connections that the Serbian president has with the country’s criminal underworld, and how such ties have helped him keep a grip on power. The article drew broad international attention, with Vučić calling it false propaganda by the CIA.

In a report in December 2024, Amnesty International documented how Serbian authorities are misusing surveillance technology and digital repression tactics against civil society and dissident groups in the country.

Over the past two years, Serbia has experienced a wave of anti-government protests. Last year thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Serbia to oppose Rio Tinto’s lithium mining project, raising concerns about its environmental impact. In December 2023, opposition parties rallied against the results of the general and local elections, accusing the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of widespread fraud.