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80 Serbian students are cycling to Strasbourg, France
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They are denouncing corruption following the deadly collapse of the Novi Sad train station in November
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Velko, a student from Novi Sad, is one of the organizers. Our motivations are simple
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If as a society we'd stayed silent after the death of 16 people, we would have been barbarians
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We want to address Europeans and explain the situation in Serbia. Students have been protesting for over four months against government corruption
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They are widely supported by the population, which hopes for change after 13 years of President
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Aleksandar Vucic's rule. The students have unleashed an incredible energy. People are welcoming them like liberators
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with tears in their eyes. We are living through very difficult times. There are no freedoms in Serbia. We want to
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help these young people. At the occupied universities, students on strike are closely following the new chapter
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of protests in Serbia. I'm very proud of my fellow students. We have liked to write with them but we believe they will succeed Europe has already suggested to Serbia an EU candidate to improve press freedom and ensure free and fair elections however without much
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insistence. This is a stance that may now change. When we talk about the state of democracy in
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Serbia, Europe has remained silent for years. This journey will put pressure on European governments
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who will hopefully begin to criticize Aleksandr Vucic's regime more openly. The students no longer trust Serbian institutions
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which are controlled by the regime, to implement reforms. They plan to knock on all doors in Strasbourg
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The goal is to address European institutions, the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights
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The idea is to submit a letter in which the chronological events in Serbia
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since November 2024 are outlined and where the reactions of the relevant authorities
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in Serbia have been absent. Velko and his comrades will cycle for 1,400 kilometers through Europe
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Meanwhile, the mobilization in Serbia continues and protests have become daily occurrences
