Following a series of arrests and administrative measures against citizens supporting student protests, the Serbian state has taken a new step, this time by issuing fines to citizens who pay silent tribute to those killed in Novi Sad last year. If you are on the road rather than on the sidewalk during the symbolic 16 minutes of silence, the police can fine you 5,000 dinars (about $50).

The Constitution of the Republic of Serbia guarantees the right to freedom of assembly and peaceful protest. However, citizens who block intersections in silence as a form of protest are now receiving official fines for “violating the Traffic Law.”

Such is the case of Ivana Franovic, who, as in previous days, participated in a blockade in front of the First Belgrade Gymnasium, at the corner of Tsar Dusan and Dobrichina streets, on June 6. At exactly 11:52 a.m., she stepped onto the road to support the students who were silently honoring the victims of Novi Sad.

“That day was unusual. A policewoman I had seen before, who had always been polite, came up to me. She asked me to stay after the blockade ended so she could check my ID because, as she said, she had received new orders,” Franovic told the Danas newspaper.

After the blockade, she and her husband stayed and presented their identity documents. The police officer began checking whether they were under investigation, which took a long time and, according to Franovic, seemed “quite absurd.” A little later, her colleague joined her and wrote down their details in a notebook.

Just a few days later, Franovic received an official fine in the mail.

“Surprisingly fast—the incident was on Friday, and by Wednesday I already had the fine. When the police want something, they can be very efficient,” the woman said with an ironic smile.

The fine itself states that in the municipality of Stari Grad, the person was walking on the road at 66 Tsar Dusan Street, even though there was a sidewalk, thereby violating Article 94 of the Road Safety Act. For this act of civil disobedience, she was fined 5,000 dinars. | BGNES