Stevan Filipović assaulted in Belgrade as prosecutors open investigation

Professor and director Stevan Filipović of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts was attacked on the night of 15 August in central Belgrade. While filming a group he said were demolishing a protected cultural monument at the corner of Makedonska and Nušićeve streets, he was struck by a man in a grey shirt, had his mobile phone taken and was beaten with a metal chair. Filipović reported a loss of consciousness, a concussion, a hematoma on his hip, a leg injury requiring a brace and a broken lip.

The First Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade opened a criminal investigation, ordering the collection of CCTV footage, identification of the assailants and recovery of the stolen phone. Academic bodies, including the Academic Plenum and the Community of Arts and Culture (ZUK), condemned the assault as an attack on freedom of thought and expression, urging swift and independent judicial action.

Filipović called on citizens not to be intimidated and said he will pursue the identification of his attackers, while the incident has raised concerns about politically‑motivated violence against scholars and journalists in Serbia.