Nowhere to Go, Serbia’s Homeless Fined for Breaking COVID-19 Curfew

For a long time, the couple, who spoke on condition their surnames were not published, would sleep on the outskirts of the city and take public transport into the centre each day for food and supplies.

But then, struggling to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, authorities stopped buses, trams and trolleybuses from running and imposed a curfew from 5 p.m. The couple was stranded and, since they had no home, in danger of being penalised for being outside after dark.

They resolved to go on the road, moving between more than a dozen towns, mainly on foot despite Snezana having pain in one leg. One day in late March, however, they reached the town of Kraljevo in central Serbia at 5.30 p.m., so they set up on the steps of the police station in order to explain their plight.

Two hours later, an officer took them before the local misdemeanour judge, who dismissed their explanations and fined each of them 50,000 dinars, some 425 euros - a small fortune far beyond their means. At that moment, the couple had 200 dinars to their name, roughly the price of two coffees.

"We were surprised at what the judge did despite us trying to explain our intentions," said Snezana, 59. "Why would we come in front of the police station if we wanted to break the law? Even the policeman regretted it when he saw how the judge punished us."

A 56-year old Dusan in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Belgrade. Photo: Sasa Dragojlo

But the judge was no exception.

According to experts working with homeless people in Serbia, as well as court documents seen by BIRN, dozens of people with no home to go were hit with the 425-euro fine for breaching the curfew, which was lifted in May last year.

"I know more than 10 people who were fined...

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