Serbia’s academics lose jobs over support for student pro-democracy movement

Serbian academics say they are being fired from their jobs by managers close to the ruling political party, in revenge for their backing of pro-democracy student protests.

Sources say the government of President Aleksandar Vučić and his Serbian Progressive Party has replaced the leaders of several research and university bodies with party supporters, is limiting university lecturers’ paid research time and delaying public funds for universities and research. 

Last May, thousands of Serbian scientists and artists signed a call for the European Commission to reopen chapter 25 of their country’s EU accession process, the section that covers research and science, because of curbs on academic freedom. 

While the Commission has not yet reopened the chapter, it has issued a damning report on Serbia’s accession progress, citing “worrying developments” where the government “interfered with the institutional autonomy of faculties and eroded academic freedom.”

A Commission spokesperson told Science|Business that is it is “aware” and “concerned” about the situation in Serbia’s universities, and it has again called on the government to “ensure respect of academic freedom and institutional autonomy.”

These developments come as academic freedom is increasingly under threat in the EU. According to the European Parliament’s Academic Freedom Monitor 2025, published on February 23, “academic freedom across the EU continues to erode,” with concerning trends in most member states.

Job purges

In Serbia, academics say they are being fired from their jobs because they stood by student protestors demanding reforms and a fairer society. The highest profile case is Jelena Kleut, a professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, who has been a prominent supporter of the student cause. She was let go in January, after 20 years in the job, when her position came up for review.

Kleut described this as a “blatant violation of rules and procedures of appointment” and said she is taking her case to court. “Sadly,” she told Science|Business, “we have indication that it is just the beginning,” citing the case of a colleague whose promotion is in question because they also supported demonstrating students.

The mechanism for the job purge is a mandatory five-year review of university positions, at which point academics need to be promoted or re-elected to their current positions. “This creates uncertainty where our jobs are concerned,” said Vladimir Mihić, associate professor of psychology at the University of Novi Sad. He cited the University in Novi Pazar as another place where academics are being fired because of their support for students. 

“Many professors have not been able to stay at the university because the governing bodies never open the competition for their place, so their contract simply expires,” Mihić told Science|Business. “In other cases, they would interfere in the election process and simply would not adopt the report for the election.”

This is what Kleut says happened to her: even though she received positive evaluations from several expert committees, the evaluation report was rejected by the Senate, the most political body at the university. 

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“The university is mostly captured, predominantly run by people with close ties to the government, interlinked in clientelistic networks,” she said, adding that most people in the extended Senate publicly backed the ruling party at elections.

“The state has a say in their election to the Senate through university and faculty councils, where the regional and national government representatives also sit,” Kleut said. “The sheer number of people who publicly supported Vučić’s party is a telling sign of these linkages.”

As examples of clientelism she cites university officials receiving state funding without a public call, or being appointed to leadership positions at other public bodies by the country’s president.

Other university staff affected

Even non-academic staff are being affected. For example, Marija Radovanović was fired from her job as secretary at the University of Belgrade’s medical faculty after she approached the government and the faculty to report what she says was the unlawful replacement of the dean, who was supportive of students.

She, too, is taking her case to court, but she said that others will likely be silenced simply through pressure and fear of losing their jobs.

“Anyone who openly supports the students fears possible retaliation,” Radovanović told Science|Business. “Many professors, out of fear of retaliation, avoid conflicts with the regime and refrain from publicly expressing their political views. In my opinion, this is sad and unworthy of the role professors should play in broader society.”

Radovanović said she is also aware of many cases of education inspectors and medical staff at state-run clinical centres being pressured or removed from their jobs for supporting the students.

She, like many others, sees the EU as a beacon of hope. “People in Serbia are aware that, without the support of European institutions, it will be very difficult for us to fight for the rule of law.”

However, shortcomings in both academic freedom and the rule of law are precisely the issues currently holding up accession talks.

According to a spokesperson, the Commission is “concerned by the erosion of academic freedom and the increasing political influence over the education system in Serbia.” It is also aware of reports of threats and political pressure against academic staff and public universities. “Such attacks on academic staff are not acceptable,” the spokesperson went on. “All staff in education facilities must operate freely without undue restrictions.”

They added: “Serbia is expected to ensure respect of academic freedom and institutional autonomy, in line with the principles of the European Higher Education Area and the Bologna Follow-up Group.”

The Serbian government and the universities of Belgrade, Novi Sad and Novi Pazar did not respond to requests for comment.