Professor Says Police Fired Dangerous Gas at Protesters in Novi Sad

Protest Belgrade (Photo: Beta/Milos Miskov)

Sanja Kojic, a professor at the Faculty of Sciences in Novi Sad, said on Sept. 15 that police had fired CN gas, a dangerous substance capable of causing severe and lasting health problems, at students, professors, and citizens gathered in the university campus in the eve on Sept. 5.

“Our students, despite the repression, left the building that very evening and collected evidence, which they later analyzed in an accredited laboratory. In one of the canisters, they found evidence of a frightening truth – there were traces of CN gas was inside,” Kojic said during a rally held on the Novi Sad University campus.

The professor explained that it was a firm piece of evidence, which could not be challenged in court, since the analysis was carried out fully in line with scientific procedures.

“CN is a toxic agent, classified as a chemical weapon. It causes permanent damage to eyesight, respiratory problems, and skin conditions. Sadly, that evening I personally saw these symptoms in several students and citizens. Such substances cannot be used against civilians in populated areas. Yet that night, it was used against all of us,” Kojic explained.

Students blocking the Faculty of Sciences announced on social media last night that, after the Sept. 5 protest, when police brutally intervened against protesters on the campus, they had collected canisters of fired chemical agents, and laboratory results confirmed that police had used both CS and CN gases.

Serbia’s Ministry of the Interior denied the students’ claims, saying the police force did not possess CN gas at all.