Natalija Jovanović, dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, was injured when a woman attacked her with a knife in Nis. The attacker was detained
Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš Natalija Jovanovic, who was stabbed in the hand by a woman before the beginning of the protest in that city on Sunday (March 30), was released from the hospital, and as she said, received all the necessary care.
"I experienced a lot of stress, we still have to be cut to pieces. It is not necessary for tensions to spread further in this way, and we know who is spreading them, I am accusing one person, she pulled out a knife on me, and that is the president of this country," said Jovanović.
The dean was stabbed in the right hand, after which she was transported to the University Clinical Center (UKC) Niš, where her injury was repaired, and the police arrested the suspect.
"At around 11:30 a.m., NJ was brought to UKC Niš with a cut on his right hand. It is a minor injury that was taken care of," stated from UKC Nis earlier on Sunday (March XNUMX).
Members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Niš, on the order of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Niš, arrested SC (1956) from this city, due to the existence of grounds for suspicion that she had committed the crime of violent behavior at a sports event or public meeting, the MUP announced.
The suspect was ordered to be detained for up to 48 hours and, with a criminal report, she will be brought before the senior public prosecutor in Niš, according to the announcement.
"I have a medical certificate that I am abnormal"
A video appeared on the social network X (X) in which the attacker says that she has a medical certificate that she is "abnormal".
"I have a medical certificate that I am abnormal. She ruined my granddaughter," said the attacker, pointing to the dean.
This is the woman who attacked the dean Natalija Jovanovic! pic.twitter.com/OHlRAmmVTj
— Dejo (@samodejo01) March 30, 2025
First bloody shirts, now bloody scarves
The husband of the injured dean, Branislav Jovanović, mentioned that the woman who attacked her had previously thrown a can at the group she was in.
As evidence of the attack, there is a bloody scarf of the dean, and her husband holds Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić responsible for the incident.
"First there were bloody shirts, and now we have bloody scarves. That's President Vučić's oil. He's happy with the kettlebells!", said Jovanović.
Condemnation of the attack
Representatives of some opposition parties, as well as the Free University, spoke about the attack on dean Natalija Jovanović.
The academic network Slobodan University strongly condemned the attack, saying that it stands in solidarity with it. As they add, that attack is a consequence of the regime's campaign against the academic community.
"We are shocked by the information about the attack. We strongly condemn this act of violence and express our full support to our colleague and the entire academic community in Nis. This incident represents a dangerous precedent and an escalation of attacks on members of the academic community, who have now moved from verbal threats to physical violence," Slobodan University stated in a press release.
They added that the attack was the result of a weeks-long campaign, which was conducted from the very top of the government and through the propaganda media, in order to discredit university workers.
"An attack on one member of the academic community is an attack on the entire university and on the principles of freedom of thought, academic integrity and education. We demand an immediate and decisive reaction from the competent authorities," stated the Slobodan University.
They demanded that the authorities immediately stop the campaign against the academic community, because they are directly responsible for every attack that community suffers.
"We call on the academic community and citizens not to remain silent in the face of violence. Solidarity is our strength," Slobodan University said.
The president of the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP), Dragan Đilas, said that the knife attack on the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš, Natalija Jovanović, was a direct consequence of the brutal campaign of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić against her and her family.
"Dean Natalija Jovanović, a woman of integrity, was attacked with a knife that was in the hand of Aleksandar Vučić," Đilas stated in a written statement, SSP announced.
Đilas stated that "the President of Serbia himself publicly and aggressively targeted Professor Jovanović and her husband several times, called her a criminal, belittled her work and turned her into a legitimate target."
The attack on Natalija Jovanović, he added, is a consequence of the atmosphere in which the government organized, through the media, created a society in which dissidents are insulted, dragged across the tabloids, targeted, isolated and - in the end - physically attacked.
The Green-Left Front (ZLF) strongly condemned the attack, stating that the instigators of that crime are still at large, although the direct perpetrator has been detained, which is why it calls on the authorities to identify those responsible for inciting violence.
The Green-Left Front stated in a statement that the attack comes only a few days after Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić called Dean Jovanović a "criminal" and part of the "three evils".
The New Face of Serbia (NLS) stated that the attack was a consequence of the aggressive and violent policy of the progressive regime, which has always dealt with its dissidents in a radical way without choosing the means.
NLS President and Member of Parliament Miloš Parandilović stated in a written statement that Dean Natalija Jovanović was one of the first to stand by the students and support brave young people, reports FoNet.
"On the order of (Serbian President Aleksandr) Vučić, the regime media shamelessly conducted a brutal campaign of lies for months, which targeted Natalia and Branislav Jovanović. Such Vučić's campaign against the Jovanović family had to escalate with violence, because it is the main instrument of this bloody regime," said Parandilović.
Parandilović added that this is the only country in the world where the government through propaganda media creates a media climate of lynching against deans and rectors because it is afraid of education and the educated.
The president of the New Democratic Party of Serbia (NDSS), Miloš Jovanović, accused the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, of turning the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš, Natalija Jovanović, into a walking target, reacting to the knife attack she experienced on the eve of the protest in that city.
Jovanović emphasized that the New DSS requires urgent prosecution not only of the attackers, but also of all those who, with a shameful campaign, turned Prof. Dr. Natalija Jovanović into a walking target.
The National Movement of Serbia (NPS) announced that the president of the country, Aleksandar Vučić, is directly responsible for the attack on the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš, Natalija Jovanović, who "instead of expressing national unity, incites deeper divisions, incites violence, conflicts and pushes the people of her country into civil war."
The Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade strongly condemns the attack on Prof. Dr. Natalija Jovanović, dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš.
Insults and threats aimed at the University and its representatives culminated in a knife attack on a university professor and the dean of one of the most respected educational institutions in the country, which cannot therefore be seen as an isolated incident. This is a consequence of the campaign and the long-term, systematic targeting of critical individuals and institutions that do not agree to the role of henchmen, by the highest representatives of the government.
"At the moment when violence is normalized and responsibility is avoided, silence becomes complicity. We choose not to be silent," say teachers, researchers and associates of the Faculty of Philosophy.
Matsura: A reminder of how important it is to work together to reduce tensions
The minister without portfolio in the Government of Serbia in the technical mandate, Tatjana Matsura, today condemned the attack on the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš, Natalija Jovanović, stating that the incident is a reminder of how important it is to work together to calm tensions and protect academic values.
"The attack on the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy is not just an attack on one person, but a serious indicator that the tensions that are present in society spill over into spaces where tolerance, dialogue and the exchange of ideas should reign. Academic institutions must be places where different views are heard and respected, and not spaces of conflict and violence. This event warns us that it is time for us all to take responsibility and contribute to calming the situation," said Minister Matsura, as announced by her office.
Tatjana Matsura added that violence must not become a means of resolving disagreements in society and that any threat to the safety of individuals due to their beliefs or professional work leads to further polarization.
Brnabić: Even today, the difference between us and them showed
The President of the Serbian Parliament and a senior official of the Serbian Progressive Party, Ana Brnabić, said regarding the attack on the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš, Natalija Jovanović, that "any form of violence against anyone in this country" is unacceptable.
"Even today, in this case, there is a clear difference between us and them - we condemn every form of violence, always and without distinction. And in this case, when such an act was committed by a mentally ill, elderly person, female, against the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš, Natalija Jovanović," stated Ana Brnabić on the social network X.
Ana Brnabić stated that she was especially happy because it was a minor physical injury, and she described as shameful "the claims that Ms. Jovanović was more seriously wounded", without specifying who made them.
"And this fact - that even a mentally ill person of an older age is used for the purpose of political spin, and that minor physical injuries are presented as serious injuries, speaks volumes about the powerlessness of those who every day call for violence against dissenters and who perpetrate that violence every day - throwing eggs, stones, bottles, cans at people, blocking the media, preventing others from moving, working, learning", announced Ana Brnabić.
"I am proud that even today, as a representative of the government, I can show the difference between us and them. Serbia must not be a country of violence, but a country of peace and stability," added Ana Brnabić.
Acid, knife and cans
Pictures circulating on social media from the scene show blood on the pavement.
Eyewitnesses told N1 that they heard the attacker say that she was going to throw acid on the dean, and then attacked her with a knife. Previously, she threw a can of food at the people gathered at the protest.
People took Natalija Jovanović to a nearby betting shop, and an ambulance arrived quickly. "He slipped a knife in her hand. First she threw a can at us," says one of the eyewitnesses.
According to one Twitter user from the scene, the attacker "calmly entered the police car without handcuffs". Previously, she allegedly emphasized to everyone that she had a medical certificate about mental disorders.
The woman who was detained by the police for the attack can be seen in a photo that is being shared on social networks:
The Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Nis, Natalija Jovanovic, was attacked with a knife#murderer pic.twitter.com/JPGOZIf5T2
— Ninoslav (@ninoslav_x) March 30, 2025
A protest walk is taking place in Nis, that's why people gathered, and Natalija Jovanović was among them. The attack took place on Pavle Stojković Square.
Jovanović, the first dean to support the student protests, has since been facing calls from the top authorities, who label her and her husband as criminals.
Source: N1/FoNet
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