00:00 A crowd's lined up in front of a cultural center in Novi Sad.
00:06 A feeling of hope hangs in the air.
00:08 The ProGlas Initiative, or ProVoice in English, is hosting a panel discussion this evening.
00:14 It's a full house.
00:15 Dragan Bjelogoric, a well-known Serbian actor and co-founder of the initiative, gets straight
00:20 to the point.
00:23 "We believe if we wake up, we the citizens of Serbia, if we become active and realize
00:31 it's up to us, then we'll become a force for change."
00:40 The initiative was founded after 18 people were killed in two mass shootings in May.
00:45 The violence shocked the whole of Serbia.
00:48 Many Serbians blame President Vucic's government.
00:51 They say it's fueled a climate of violence in the country, and eroded democracy and the
00:56 rule of law.
01:00 "Serbia is being held hostage.
01:04 Serbia is a country full of violence.
01:07 Serbia is a country where one man decides everything.
01:09 This has to stop."
01:10 "I want a democracy, free media, and independent judiciary."
01:18 Pavle Cicvaric, a 21-year-old political science student, is also here.
01:24 The mass shootings shocked him, too, and he decided to take action.
01:29 The next morning, we meet with Cicivic at his university in Belgrade.
01:33 "Serbia isn't a dictatorship," he says, "but a hybrid regime with authoritarian elements.
01:40 It's a regime that's been undermining democratic principles for 11 years, at the expense of
01:45 his future."
01:46 "I would like to see Serbia as part of the EU, as a country that respects the rule of
01:53 law, and where there's not such a deep-rooted corruption.
01:57 At the moment, we have a state in which criminals and politicians are connected."
02:04 Many students here seem to share his views.
02:07 They're unhappy about the country's rampant crime and climate of corruption, and the government's
02:12 attempts to silence dissenters.
02:16 We travel to Pecinci, a town northwest of Belgrade.
02:22 This is where Jelena Mihaljevic lives with her husband, an opposition politician.
02:27 She tells us their daughter was banned from preschool because of their political activities.
02:32 "It was very tough.
02:36 I lost 10 kilos.
02:38 I never would have thought that someone would want to discriminate against my child.
02:43 It was very stressful for our family.
02:46 Other children in the park told my daughter she wasn't allowed to go to preschool.
02:50 She came home crying."
02:53 The local Equal Opportunities Officer confirmed her complaint.
02:57 And Jelena Mihaljevic said this is just the tip of the iceberg here.
03:01 That's also why she joined the demonstrations after the mass shootings, when thousands protested
03:05 for weeks.
03:07 She also spoke out against the Vucic government.
03:09 She couldn't remain silent any longer.
03:13 We would have liked to ask President Aleksandar Vucic personally about the accusations against
03:18 him and his government.
03:19 But questions were unwelcome at this event, and his party didn't respond to our request.
03:25 In pro-government media, however, Vucic regularly rails against the opposition, who he says
03:30 is trying to ruin Serbia.
03:33 "The opposition is calling itself Serbia Against Violence.
03:39 But they're all bullies, and so are the people who support them.
03:45 I'm not talking about ordinary citizens, but those who appear in public."
03:52 Vucic himself is not up for election, but his party is.
03:56 They have a lot of support in the provinces, and even in Belgrade, where the opposition
04:00 is strong.
04:01 "I'm satisfied with the government.
04:05 When it comes to the direction in which the country is moving, I think our values are
04:09 okay.
04:10 I don't want anything to change."
04:13 "They should continue to govern as they've been doing, and the current president should
04:17 continue to lead us."
04:22 But Pavle Cicvarec and his fellow students hope this election will bring change.
04:28 They're optimistic because the previously divided opposition is now united, and the
04:33 European Union is keeping a close eye on the upcoming election.
04:37 "I believe it's important now for the EU to send monitors to Serbia to observe the
04:45 process."
04:46 "Yes, the EU has a role to play here, but I think it's mainly down to us, the citizens
04:53 of Serbia."
04:55 Whatever the outcome, they're determined to continue their activism.
04:59 The people in Serbia need to wake up, says Pavle Cicvarec, for anything here to change.
05:05 [BLANK_AUDIO]
Comments