Serbia in Focus

Skills of Resistance: How Serbian Students Redefined Protest

We’re joined by Jovana Milosavljević Ardeljan, Director of Career, Professional & Community Development at the University of New Hampshire.Jovana offers a unique perspective—analyzing the protests through the lens of skill-building and education. We explore how students are:- Demonstrating top-level communication & critical thinking.- Organizing without a central leader—but with unity, clarity, and intentionReconnecting the diaspora and giving us a renewed sense of pride and purpose.- Holding an entire country accountable by peacefully disrupting education to demand change.00:00 Introduction01:04 The role of the student movements in Serbia04:18 The need of Leadership in movements14:36 Importance of Communities in movements26:21 The impact of education on society33:13 Connecting the Diaspora: A sense of belonging39:20 Raising awareness: Sharing Serbia's story46:29 Essential Skills of the student movement

From Belgrade to the World: A Shared Lens on Protest

In this episode, we engage in a conversation with Olivera Miladinović from Harvard Medical School, who will shed light on the organization of support from the U.S. since the onset of the protests and the pivotal role of the diaspora in these movements.And Vladimir Radojković, a Serbian historian and editor of the Journal for Serbian Studies and Balkan Talks. He will provide a historical perspective on the events of the past decade and their impact on our society, offering insights from both the European and Serbian viewpoints.Useful articles:Balkan Talks: https://balkantalks.org/https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-student-and-civic-protest-inhttps://cisi.rs/march-2025-cisi-associates-researching-serbian-protests/https://cisi.rs/april-2025-katarina-besirevic-partook-in-a-harvard-debate-on-student-protests/Video:https://www.instagram.com/boston_uz_studente/00:00 Introduction02:35 Organizing support in Boston05:41 The Impact of academic communities08:30 Connecting through protests13:50 Diverse perspectives in the Diaspora16:44 Challenges faced by the Diaspora27:27 The future of the movement41:27 Political landscape in Serbia01:05:39 Elections and democratic participation

They Build, Students Organize: Belgrade Expo 2027 and Student protests

We sat down with Branko, a PhD student in Geoscience at the Faculty of Geography, University of Belgrade, to talk about the power of student organizing during the protests in Serbia — and what it revealed about the state of civic resistance. We also dig into the controversial Belgrade Expo 2027 plans: Who’s building it? How big is it? What’s the history behind it and how did it get to Belgrade? 00:00 Introduction 00:53 Student safety regulations during protests 23:49 Belgrade expo 2027

Blocking the Broadcaster: RTS and the Legacy of Media Darkness

From student blockades to media propaganda, we dig into how Serbia’s national broadcaster stopped informing — and started silencing. A deep dive into the legacy of RTS, the role of REM, and the fight for truth in a state-controlled media landscape.We’re talking about the student-led blockades of RTS in Serbia — a bold protest demanding accountability from a broadcaster that’s supposed to belong to the people. But this isn’t just about RTS. It’s about decades of media capture, propaganda, and what it means to live in a country where truth is filtered through a government lens. We’re joined by a psychology student Milica based in Nijmegen, Netherlands — who helps us unpack the emotional toll of growing up under media darkness, and why the protests today feel so vital. 00:00 Introduction 02:15 Broadcaster Blockades in Belgrade 15:00 The Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media - REM 20:30 Media darkness in Serbia since the 90s 32:40 Easter Holidays at the Blockade 38:15 Regime media 56:45 Protests during the 90s 01:02:45 RTS – The Regime’s Broadcaster Sources: https://www.youtube.com/@UC_yXEx3-Gk5drg9qhPzSQSg https://www.instagram.com/kreni.promeni/

From the Hague to Belgrade: a Student's Legal Perspective - Serbia in Focus

This week, we’re joined by a Serbian student of International & European Law studying in The Hague — bringing a whole new legal perspective to our conversation. She shares her observations and analyses of the current events in Serbia, informed by her legal studies and international context. Our guest helps us break down the recent chaos and confusion in Serbia — from the mysterious sound weapon reports on May 15th, to the powerful message behind the student cyclists riding to Strasbourg. She offers legal and political context you don’t hear on the news, and we reflect together on what these moments mean for our future — as young people, as citizens, as Serbians. 00:00 Introduction 01:15 Diaspora’s reaction to the protests 06:20 European convention of Human rights in Strasbourg 10:45 Student cyclists  23:00 Human rights 34:00 Possible use of a sonic weapon 37:45 European court of Human rights about Serbia 40:30 LRAD  50:00 The Student’s 5th demand  52:00 The attacks