Student Protests Challenge Serbian Leadership

In a powerful display of dissent, thousands of student-led protesters gathered in downtown Belgrade on Monday, voicing their strong opposition to Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic. The demonstrators accused the police of brutality during anti-government protests, which have increasingly challenged Vucic's populist governance.

The protests, which began in November following a fatal train station collapse that claimed 16 lives, have since evolved into a significant anti-corruption movement. University students attribute the disaster to graft-fueled negligence and have called for accountability. Nikolina Sindjelic, a detained student protester, alleged police beatings and harassment, condemning the state's actions against its citizens.

President Vucic, facing accusations of authoritarianism, has dismissed the students' call for early elections and intensified his crackdown on dissent, with reports of police violence and academic purges. Despite Vucic's allegations of foreign influence and terrorism, the protests continue to test his administration amidst Serbia's EU membership aspirations.

(With inputs from agencies.)