STAV activists in exile, pardoned by Vučić, speak to Danas: ‘See you on October 26 in a free Serbia’

Branislav Đorđević and Doroteja Antić, two activists of the student movement STAV from Novi Sad who are currently in exile, have told the Danas newspaper that they do not plan to return to Serbia before the October 25 parliamentary elections, as they do not feel safe.

Both were included in the abolition granted by outgoing president Aleksandar Vučić — the act by which he pardoned 49 people charged by the prosecution over events linked to the student protests, including the collapse of the canopy in Novi Sad. Đorđević, accused of attacking officials during the November 5, 2024 protests in Novi Sad, says that instead of returning, he will serve as an election observer at the Serbian embassy in Zagreb on election day, according to Danas.

Antić, accused of preparing actions against the constitutional order in connection with the March 15 protests in Belgrade, has stated that she speaks only with her lawyer’s consent. She says the situation in Serbia does not allow her return and that authorities must first drop criminal proceedings against students.

In the statement for Danas, Đorđević described the abolition as a populist act by Vučić, stressing that its purpose is to win votes for his coalition. “See you on October 26 in a free Serbia,” the two activists concluded, expressing their belief that the snap elections will bring a change of power.