We are here to raise our voices against the injustice being carried out in Serbia and say resolutely no to the expulsion of people who have expressed their opinion and solidarity with students and citizens of Serbia, is the message from the protest in Belgrade on Thursday evening, organized on the occasion of the expulsion of Croatian citizen Arien Stojanović Ivković.
On Tuesday, Serbian authorities expelled Croatian citizen Arien Stojanović Ivković, married in Belgrade and the mother of a minor child from that marriage, and at the same time banned her from entering the country for a year, explaining that she "represents an unacceptable security risk," and gave her a week to leave Serbian territory.
Stojanović Ivković believes that the decision to expel her came after she publicly supported students who, through months of protests, are demanding a crackdown on corruption and an orderly society in which institutions will operate without pressure and political influence.
Serbian authorities previously deported German pianist of Italian origin Davide Martell, who joined Niš students and citizens with his music during the blockade of bridges in that city on April 5th.
But three days later, in the Austrian town of Emersdorf on the Danube, Martello, playing "O Bella Ciao" on the piano, welcomed a group of 80 Serbian students cycling to Strasbourg to inform European Union leaders about the situation in Serbia.
At tonight's protest, it was pointed out that the only "offense" of Croatian citizen Arien was her support for student protests and criticism of President Aleksandar Vučić's visit to seriously injured patients from North Macedonia in the intensive care unit of the Clinical Center.
Her expulsion, as it was said, is not an isolated case, as in the last three months, 15 Croatian citizens have suffered a similar fate and been expelled from Serbia on similar charges, and in January, 13 activists were detained without explanation during one night in Belgrade and then expelled with a one-year entry ban.
"The case of the Italian pianist Davide Martello, who accompanied our students on their path to achieving their demands, supporting them with his music, is particularly absurd," said Katarina Popović, a professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, from the Rebel University initiative, which, along with several other civic movements, organized tonight's protest.
Popović said that the reason for tonight's gathering is to firmly say "no" to the expulsion from Serbia of people who dared to express their opinion or support students and citizens of Serbia in the fight for justice.
She pointed out that the Constitution of Serbia guarantees everyone freedom of opinion and expression, and prohibits discrimination on any basis, stressing that "those fundamental human rights are still grossly violated in Serbia".
"We call on the competent institutions to immediately stop the persecution of foreign citizens for their political views and activities, and we demand transparency in the work of the security services and respect for the law and the Constitution," said the participants in tonight's protest.
Photo: FAH/Milena Vlajić
