For nearly two years now, Humboldt-Universität’s partner university in the Serbian capital has been at the forefront of nationwide student protests demanding government accountability, the rule of law and democratic change. Triggered by the collapse of a railway station canopy in the north-Serbian city of Novi Sad which claimed 16 lives, the anti-corruption movement took to the streets and occupied universities. After initial gestures of accommodation, the government responded by portraying the protests as foreign interference and with increasingly aggressive policing and pressure.
Teaching at the University of Belgrade resumed in the summer of 2025, but the conflict between Aleksandar Vučić’s government and the student movement is far from resolved.
Professor Dr. Nemanja Džuverović, professor of Peace Studies at the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Political Science, is spending the month of August at Humboldt-Universität to plan joint courses, connect with colleagues and work on his research.
In an interview, he shares what Serbia’s political trajectory means for academia, how he has experienced the past months and why the European University Alliance Circle U. is of great importance to him and his colleagues in these difficult times.
Prof. Džuverović: I teach political science, so on one hand, seeing my students engaging in democratic practices is inspiring. We’ve seen the development of the largest movement in Serbian history, larger than the protests in 1968. At the peak, there were 400.000 people gathering and protesting in Belgrade. I wish that during the protests we could also have had some classes in parallel to reflect on theory and practice, but the faculties were completely occupied.
In each faculty the students organized themselves in decision-making bodies they called plenums. They would discuss for hours and then vote on their decisions. I think it was a pivotal moment for those young people in developing their social and political activism and they really cherished that.
Prof. Džuverović: When I say ‘cherished’ I mean inside of these plenums. It’s true that it was and still is dangerous for students. Many were arrested, most of them released now, but this was the government’s tactic to intimidate them. Also, some students’ parents experienced problems at work while others even lost their jobs. Many students were beaten by the police during the protests. The situation today has somewhat changed. We don't have as many protests since the student movement is preparing to run in the next general election. In response, the government is now retaliating against professors that were outspoken in support of the students.
Prof. Džuverović: The University of Belgrade is state-funded and the government has its representatives sitting on university and faculty councils. I used to be part of the faculty management and was able to witness firsthand how state representatives use threats, block faculty proposals or curtail funding for research. During faculty elections, there were also examples where younger colleagues were followed or harassed via anonymous calls and messages. Others were pressured to vote for candidates with government support to maintain possibilities of career advancement. The university is a source of critical voices in Serbia, which the government dislikes.
Prof. Džuverović: Next to my research on peacebuilding, I have recently been teaching and researching about academic freedom and democratic backsliding. So, when I need any kind of official data or interviews, I am constantly rejected. That has made it very hard for me and other colleagues to do research over the past two years. It’s become easier to work with colleagues from Humboldt-Universität or the US than with officials in my own country. That also means that the topics I work on are changing.
Prof. Džuverović: I was talking to my wife about that, having been here in Berlin for ten days. I think we normalize an unnormal situation in our country. We are used to things that people here would be shocked by and find completely unacceptable. The 2026 V-Dem Democracy Report from the University of Gothenburg highlights the leading autocratizers in the world, meaning countries that are turning from democracies to autocracies. Number one was Hungary, which right now is probably changing for the better, number two is Serbia…
Prof. Džuverović: In the last couple of polls, the student movement and President Vučić’s party are pretty much on par. But you have to keep in mind it's not Germany and elections haven't been fair for years now. The government is using all kinds of tactics from buying votes to threatening people. To win an election like this, you need overwhelming support like Magyar’s party had in Hungary, so that even if the ruling party is stealing, it's not enough to stay in power. Then, if the student movement does not form a government, that would be the beginning of much stronger repression. I think people do not realize how important this moment is. But for now, we don’t even know when the elections will take place.
Prof. Džuverović: Personally, I have to say that Circle U. has been a place of support. These are the people I work with; who are my colleagues and, above that, my friends. I am also able to teach students from the nine universities at the Circle U. Democracy Hub summer school which is really inspiring. I think that for the University of Belgrade, being a member of Circle U. is especially important, because it is about identity and belonging.
Serbia has wanted to be part of the EU for decades but always struggled for internal and external reasons. Being part of this European alliance helps bring the European spirit and values to students. And for the university itself, sitting at the same table with all these prestigious European partners and being treated as equal, is extremely important. I think for the university leadership and for all of us at the university this is very meaningful.