Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade (BETAPHOTO/Ana Slovic)
The Higher Public Prosecution in Belgrade announced on July 2 that blocking public traffic was against the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of Serbia, because of which the relevant organs, primarily the Interior Ministry, are authorized to respond to the “unconstitutional and illegal actions of individuals.”
“With the aim of proper informing of the public and the removal of possible ambiguousness pertaining to the authority of the public prosecution and the police regarding the traffic blockades that began on June 29, 2025, the Higher Public Prosecution in Belgrade declares that, according to the Law on the Police, the following activities are included in police work, with the purpose of protecting the life, rights and liberties of the citizens, protection of property and support to the rule of law, including, among other things: maintaining public order and peace, prevention of crime and maintaining safety in the community, discovering and solving of misdemeanors and crimes and the arrest of perpetrators,” the statement reads.
These actions, the prosecution added, is up to the police to undertake independently, without prior consultation with judges of a misdemeanor court or with the prosecution.
The statement reads further that the police had the authority to undertake the following measures against a person or persons who disrupt public order and peace: warning or order, establishing of identity if, according to the law, the person poses a threat that calls for police action. “The police may temporarily limit the freedom of movement or dwelling in a particular area and remove individuals from that area, for the duration of the cause for such a state, by using various means of enforcement against a group of persons, which include physical force, irritant sprays, electro-magnetic devices, batons, restraining apparatus, police dogs and horses, special-purpose vehicles, water jets, chemical agents and suchlike,” the judiciary stated.
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