Seventeen demonstrators and 19 police officers suffered light injuries as Belgrade protests over the coronavirus-linked curfew continued for the second night in a row, the local health authorities said on Thursday
BELGRADE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th July, 2020) Seventeen demonstrators and 19 police officers suffered light injuries as Belgrade protests over the coronavirus-linked curfew continued for the second night in a row, the local health authorities said on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said that 10 law enforcement officers were injured during the night of riots, and mentioned that one policeman had two legs broken.
"Nineteen policemen and 17 demonstrators were injured, there were no serious injuries among them," Ivana Stefanovic, the director of Belgrade's ambulance services, told Radio Television of Serbia.
According to Stefanovic, one of the police officers was hit by a car.
Late Tuesday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic revealed plans to impose new restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19, including the same curfew that had been enforced during the March-May state of emergency. This prompted a clash between protesters and the police outside of the country's parliament, with 43 officers and 20 citizens injured, and 24 protesters arrested on Tuesday night. Vucic called riots the most flagrant case of political violence in several years. However, the riots in the Serbian capital have not stopped.
Meanwhile, Serbia's Ministry of Interior told Sputnik that details about the number of arrests made on Wednesday night would be revealed later on Thursday.
