Student activists running for local office in Serbia received death threats and threats of sexual violence this week, marking an escalation in intimidation tactics ahead of municipal elections scheduled for March 29.
An unknown caller using a hidden number contacted the brother of Roland Šipoš, a candidate on the "Glas mladih" (Voice of Youth) electoral list in the northwestern municipality of Kula, on the evening of March 6. According to N1 Info, the caller threatened death and made explicit threats of sexual violence against the candidate's sister.
After the brother reported the incident to police, the same individual called back, demonstrating awareness that authorities had been contacted and continuing the intimidation. Student activists from Blokada PMF Novi Sad published a recording of the threatening phone call on social media with a content warning, part of their effort to document what they describe as systematic electoral intimidation.
Representatives of the "Glas mladih" list stated that such threats have become a daily occurrence, characterizing the campaign against them as an organized effort to force their withdrawal from the electoral race. The student-led lists emerged from months of civic protests that followed the November 2024 collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad, which killed 15 people and triggered the largest sustained demonstrations in Serbia since the fall of Slobodan Milošević.
The intimidation in Kula reflects a broader pattern of pressure facing opposition candidates across Serbia. In Smederevska Palanka, students have been forced to gather petition signatures multiple times after reporting that initial efforts were compromised. Activists have also documented incidents of students being denied entry to cultural events and facing workplace retaliation for political participation.
