Schieder: Twenty-five years ago, the citizens of Serbia were liberated from dictatorship, but the struggle for democracy is not yet over

On October 5, 2000, Slobodan Milosevic—Serbia’s president for almost two decades and known as the instigator of four Balkan wars with over 200,000 victims—was overthrown. In Kosovo alone, over 13,000 people were killed, including more than 10,000 civilians, most of them Albanians.

Twenty-five years later, Austrian politician and former Member of the European Parliament Andreas Schieder says that Serbia is facing a struggle for democracy.

“On October 5, 2000, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to stand up for democracy, freedom, and the rule of law—and made history in the process. Aleksandar Vučić, then Milošević’s information minister, is now president of Serbia and symbolizes repression, corruption, media control, and police violence,” he recalled on social network X.

He appealed to the European Union to support the students and citizens who have been protesting since November last year.

The protests in Serbia began after a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Novi Sad, killing 15 people.

“The fight for democracy, media freedom, and the rule of law is not over yet.

Once again, courageous people are raising their voices to free themselves from the oppression of an autocratic system and achieve a better future without fear, violence, and corruption. Europe must not remain silent—it must take concrete action to clearly stand alongside those who are fighting for a free and democratic Serbia.”/The Geopost/