While students and professors have been resisting the regime of Aleksandar Vučić for months, the government retaliates with economic pressure and attacks on academic autonomy. In an interview for Vreme, Professor Tanasije Marinković explains why the university has become the last line of defense of a free society and why the government wants to break it.
Rebellion of the works students i university the professor lasts for months. Government pressure on rebel universities is growing. And that from its top, over all other levels.
Professor of constitutional law at the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade Tanasije Marinković believes that in his increasingly authoritarian rule, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, has finally struck directly at the University.
"There were previous, indirect attempts to deal with professors and students, that socio-professional group that opposes him the most. She proved to be the most persistent in the fight to ensure that the collapse of the canopy is not forgotten and that all those responsible are brought to justice," says Marinković in an interview for the new issue of "Vremena", which is on newsstands from Thursday, June 12.
At the same time, the six-month academic defiance of Vučić's regime and his economic reaction - the attempt to starve university teachers and associates - testify to how strong his leverage is, this power to decide who will receive income and how much it will be.
In an attack on faculties and higher education, in an attempt to break down student blockades, professors' salaries were terminated, that is, they were reduced by the part that professors receive for lectures.
And then a new blow followed with the adoption of a decree which reduced scientific research work to five hours a week from the previous 20, thus denying professors the opportunity to engage in science, and thereby denying them a larger part of their earnings.
Professors at the windstorm
Marinković believes that with such a regulation, university teachers and associates are practically put in a situation where they are in the middle of nowhere, worried about their economic, social and professional survival.
As he adds, the government's retaliation against the university is ongoing, and the scale of the retaliation, as well as how many positive emotions the student blockades will trigger and to what extent they will shake the Vučić regime, could not be predicted.
"The degree of his retaliation against the university is directly proportional to the drop in his political rating. It is absolutely possible to resist that retaliation with the further joint struggle of teachers, associates and students. However, in order for that struggle to be successful, other segments of society must also be included in it, more decisively and organized", concludes Marinković.
Read the entire interview with Tanasi Marinković in the new issue of "Vremena", which is on newsstands from Thursday, June 12.
FTN student Luka Mihajlović, seriously injured after the protest on June 28, remains under house arrest, although other participants have been released. His family is appealing for the charges to be dropped and says they will not remain silent
In the announcement regarding the cancellation of the detention of the suspects for the attack on the police officers in Užice, the Ministry of the Interior says that the decision of the Basic Court is "inappropriate" and that it "violates the authority of those who daily risk their lives preserving law and order".
Seven at liberty, two under house arrest - such decisions were made by the High Court in Užice for the nine detained after the highway blockade. A new rally was held in Užice on Monday, and new student actions were announced for Tuesday morning in Belgrade and Novi Sad.
The Higher Court in Zaječar rejected all appeals filed against the report on the results of the local elections held on June 8. The president of GIK in that city, Nenad Dinulović, says that the conditions for holding the constitutive session of the city assembly have been met.
Less than ten days after the new section of the Miloš Veliki highway was opened, JP Putevi Srbije announced that work on the Laz tunnel is underway. It is not known what works are involved, but although it was previously announced that the entire section is safe for traffic, the public warned about the insecurity of the longest tunnel on this highway.
Protests in Serbia no longer impose questions of "whether" and "if", they have become systemic events. Tolerance in society has turned into an insatiable need for normality, for the rule of law
Aleksandar Vučić is no longer able to restore balance in the rebellious society. This is best seen in the level of speech: none of his remarks go through anymore
If we are neutral while students are being imprisoned, girls and boys are being beaten for God's justice, democracy is being suppressed, dissenters are being dehumanized, corruption is continuing that kills and many other evil things are being done - then nothing
The archive of the weekly Vreme includes all our digital editions, since the very beginning of our work. All issues can be downloaded in PDF format, by purchasing the digital edition, or you can read all available texts from the selected issue.
See all
