"Fear is greatest when I am alone at home at night": Police brutality against students has left not only bruises but also psychological consequences.

Of these attacks, 18 were physical, 20 cases involved detention, and the rest were threats, stalking, and extortion.

The students we spoke with indicated that this police brutality has affected their mental state. They cite problems such as fear, insomnia, panic attacks, and constant reliving of the images of the events they experienced.

Student Tomić: I knew that even if I were not there, there would be students on the streets

One of the students who suffered police brutality was Stefan Tomić. During the blockade on Nemanjina Street on June 24, two men in civilian clothes approached him in front of a betting shop on that street and called him for a search. When he requested identification, they showed it to him for a "microsecond," as he stated, so he could not confirm that they were indeed police officers.

“They asked for our ID cards, but ours were left behind at Nemanjina, and the police officers did not want to go with us to retrieve them, which already seemed suspicious to me. They told me to wait for a colleague to identify me. Then a regular civilian car arrived, and they told me to get in,” Tomić said, adding that he would be taken in for questioning.

“We arrived at the Palace of Serbia in the terrorism department, which I did not know at that moment. I refused to speak there, and they started to be very rude. They began to shout at me,” Tomić explains.

Despite his insistence on knowing why he was there, he received no answer. They did not allow him to make a call. He did not request a lawyer because, as he pointed out, he did not trust court-appointed attorneys. He was accused of violently overthrowing the constitutional order.

“When they were taking me to detention, I heard whistles, horns, and all the people outside, and that meant a lot to me. It brought me back to reality, that there is a crowd of people in that movement, that it’s not just me. They force you not to be selfish, they compel you to say, so what if I fall. That thought meant a lot to me because I knew that even if I weren't there, there would be students on the streets,” Tomić said.

He was taken to a cell without windows, and his bed looked like two gym mats stacked on top of each other.

“Since you don't know what time it is there, you have no way to kill time, and since I am anxious and paranoid, I fell into some 'madness.' I jumped at every sound, turned around, looking to see what was happening. At one point, I was sure someone had entered the cell and expected to be beaten. It was like some borderline schizophrenia. It felt like I was constantly seeing someone there. All sorts of thoughts come to mind, really. You even think about how you could kill yourself there. It’s difficult, and I’m not happy to recall that state at all,” Tomić said.

As he explains, his stay in detention reflected negatively on his mental state.

“When I got out, I was fortunate that I didn't spend most of the day alone because I spent time at the university or in the rectorate, and I also live with my brother. However, in moments when I am alone, especially in the evening, I become very anxious. Often, I can't sleep for half the night. Every little sound jars you, and it feels like I have no choice. It’s as if my brain is forcing me to relive it and visualize what I experienced, and that’s hell. Fortunately, it doesn’t happen often since I’m not alone very often,” he said.

Tomić explains that psychological help was offered to him, but he never accepted it because, as he says, “I don’t want to waste someone’s time or create extra work.”

Psychologists who have dealt with cases like Tomić's indicate that it is common for people to have attitudes similar to his, feeling ashamed to seek help because they consider it a sign of weakness, and thus avoid asking for it even when they need it.

“In crisis situations, people primarily rely on their own strength to cope with difficulties, especially if they assess that others are in similar situations, so they do not want to burden them further,” explains psychologist Tamara Džamonja Ignjatović.

Nikolina Sinđelić: I understand why women stay silent

Nikolina Sinđelić suffered psychological and physical brutality, allegedly by Marko Krička, commander of the Unit for the Protection of Certain Individuals and Facilities (JZO), and another police officer, in the garage of the Government of Serbia in mid-August.

As Nikolina emphasizes, they hurled insults at her, commented on her physical appearance, threatened her with rape, and slapped her. They broke her phone and took her camera, which she begged to have returned, but it was never done. Instead of the state reacting and conducting an investigation against those who participated in her harassment, she received a summons from the Misdemeanor Court based on a complaint from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which accuses her of disturbing public order and peace, insulting police officers, and using explosive materials.

After everything she experienced in the garage of the Government of Serbia, Nikolina says she often feels unwell and thinks it would have been better if she had never gone public with this information.

“A few days ago, I cried for hours because I was receiving threats and all sorts of messages. Then I just told myself – why did I need this in my life, why did I go public, and when I said that out loud, I realized the weight of what I had done. I told myself that I now understand why women stay silent,” Sinđelić emphasized.

She added that she sometimes has panic attacks due to that event, that her sleep has been disrupted, but that she has started therapy to cope with these problems.

“I sleep, but not overly well. I often dream of everything that happened, and then I wake up, feeling a little scared at night, especially when I am home alone. I fear someone will come, that someone is following me, and so on, since that has happened before,” Sinđelić explains.

Tamara Džamonja Ignjatović: Police brutality produces resistance, not fear

As psychologist Džamonja Ignjatović states, symptoms such as sleep disturbances, paranoia, and jumping are typical symptoms that arise after a traumatic experience. For some, the agitation lasts very briefly, while for others, there is prolonged tension, nervousness, anxiety, loss of concentration, nightmares, and preoccupation with the traumatic event, among others, but these gradually subside, while some may need psychological support to prevent their issues from evolving into post-traumatic stress disorder.

“The most important thing is for a person to be placed somewhere they feel safe and to feel supported by close individuals. This is usually enough to overcome these reactions, which are actually a normal response to an 'abnormal' experience,” explains Džamonja Ignjatović.

She explains that police repression against young people has a clear goal: to instill fear and discourage them from participating in protests. However, such actions often have the opposite effect and further motivate youth to persevere.

“I have the impression that young people are ready for this and that it does not achieve the desired effect. It may even strengthen their willingness and determination to continue their struggle,” said Džamonja Ignjatović.

She adds that violence during police interventions is becoming increasingly pronounced, crossing the border of professional conduct and often serving as provocation aimed at inciting conflict.

“These are provocations intended to elicit a violent reaction from the other side, so that side can then be accused of inciting riots and violence, thus justifying the implementation of further repressive measures. However, it is important to mention that this does not apply to all members of the police but primarily to those parapolice forces, that is, criminals dressed in police uniforms, which makes professional police officers feel defeated and humiliated,” notes Džamonja Ignjatović.

Miloš Janković: The Ombudsman must investigate the unlawful conduct of the police

The institution that, alongside the prosecutor's office, should check for violations of citizens' human rights by police officers during protests is the Ombudsman.

Zoran Pašalić, the ombudsman, stated for Danas that the ombudsman has not received direct complaints from citizens regarding police brutality during protests but has obtained such knowledge indirectly through conversations with citizens about other topics.

“A group of citizens came a few days ago, which I received. It started as a general topic, but we ended up discussing other stories,” said Pašalić, emphasizing that the office of the Ombudsman has initiated certain self-initiated procedures regarding police conduct but that he cannot currently specify their number.

While the current Ombudsman notes that the institution has not received direct complaints from citizens regarding police brutality, former Deputy Ombudsman, lawyer Miloš Janković, emphasizes that it is the duty of the Ombudsman to react proactively to such situations. According to him, the Ombudsman should not wait for complaints but should immediately initiate an investigation into possible unlawful conduct by the police upon learning of it.

“The Ombudsman is authorized, and thus obliged, to take all measures within its jurisdiction according to the law, especially when there is suspicion that there has been a violation of citizens' rights, or cases of abuse and torture. They are obliged to immediately, without waiting for complaints from citizens, begin investigating the validity of the claims they have become aware of,” explains Janković.

He states that in such cases it is necessary for the Ombudsman to promptly approach the police authority, review all available documentation, talk to witnesses, and request surveillance camera footage to establish all facts.

“It is necessary to review all registries, written documentation, and video surveillance footage, as well as to speak with individuals who can provide information necessary for a complete and effective investigation,” he said.

According to him, the Ombudsman can determine that abuse has occurred and thereby enable the victim to seek redress in court for the physical and psychological pain they have suffered.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs remains silent 

The Ministry of Internal Affairs did not respond to Danas's questions regarding how many misdemeanor or criminal complaints have been filed against protesters for disturbing public order and peace and attacking police officers, nor to questions about disciplinary, misdemeanor, or criminal complaints against members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for excessive use of force against protesters.

Additionally, the Ministry did not respond to questions regarding the number of disciplinary, misdemeanor, or criminal proceedings against members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for excessive use of force against protesters.

A poem on the cell wall 

A poem written in detention by student Stefan Stomić.

I sit alone on a glade and watch in the black dark,
Black fingers, black fist, black eyes, black hair.
That’s why I am alone under the white sky, because while the poor cry for a baby,
And while they are fed with white bread, I hit and scraped.
A
ut it’s not all black and white, I think boldly to myself
And while they sing me a requiem, I look mournfully at my gray body.

Source: Danas