Serbian writer Vladimir Arsenijevic attacked in Belgrade ahead of Srebrenica memorial event

Arsenijevic confirmed to N1 that the assault took place at the area beneath Branko’s Bridge, where a memorial gathering dedicated to the victims of the 1995 genocide was scheduled to be held.

According to his statement shared on social media, the incident occurred as he was getting out of a taxi with the intention of cleaning the space where the commemoration was planned. A group of attackers then allegedly approached him and carried out a violent assault, hitting him in the head and kicking him.

In addition to the physical attack, the group took his mobile phone, while the area designated for the Srebrenica memorial event was vandalized. Graffiti expressing support for Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb military commander convicted of genocide and war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, was also painted at the site.

“When I arrived here this morning, I was met by a group of 20 to 30 young people who hit me, threatened me and shouted in my face,” Arsenijevic said, describing the attack.

Due to the violence and what organizers described as a seriously deteriorated security situation, the organizers officially cancelled the commemorative event planned for 11 am in Belgrade.

The gathering was intended to mark the anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, in which more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed in July 1995 after the fall of the UN-protected enclave of Srebrenica. The event was planned as part of efforts to preserve the memory of victims and raise awareness about the genocide.