A student-led protest movement has kept Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić under pressure for a full year. By refusing to bow in the face of intimidation, the protesters have exposed the corrupt authoritarianism of Vučić’s government.

As I was scrolling through the New York Times app recently, a paid post appeared on my phone screen. The title in bright green letters placed over Belgrade’s city skyline at dusk announced: “Ready, Set, Play: Belgrade Gears Up to Show the World Its Creative Spirit.”

What a coincidence, I thought, and how cynical! That morning, I had been looking in vain on the same app for any updates from my country that has now been in turmoil for a year.

The day before, on November 1, Novi Sad saw the largest protest gathering in its history as more than a hundred thous

See Full Page