At the end of August, near Kosan\u010di\u0107ev Venac in Belgrade, Marija (real name known to the editorial team) was intercepted by a \u0160koda Octavia. A man stepped out of the gray car without license plates, put a hood over her face, and dragged her into the vehicle. Shortly afterward, she ended up in the tent settlement of sympathizers of the President of Serbia, known as \u0106acilend, where, as she claims, masked men kicked, slapped, stomped on, and insulted her, Kompas reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a conversation with Kompas, the young woman, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons and whom we call Marija, described the abuse and violence that occurred a few days after she had been detained by police following the August 18 protest in Belgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That protest ended in riots in Cviji\u0107eva Street in Belgrade, in front of the headquarters of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). Marija was among those arrested and was placed in detention. During her detention, she was held at police stations Stari Grad and Majke Jevrosime, and was taken to the Military Medical Academy (VMA) for toxicology testing. The police confiscated her phone, which was returned after some time. She was assigned a court-appointed lawyer who advised her to plead guilty \u2014 a plea that lawyers from non-governmental organizations later managed to change to not guilty for the charge of violent behavior at a public gathering. Marija is currently on probation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n