‘Nothing less than a punishment’: Serbian artists criticise theatre role for ex-paramilitary chief

Protests on 15 March against Aleksandar Vučić and his government were the biggest in Serbia’s history. Photograph: Armin Durgut/AP

Artists in Serbia have criticised the appointment of a nationalist ex-paramilitary chief as the head of the national theatre board, as authorities crack down on the culture sector days before an expected new wave of anti-government protests.

Dragoslav Bokan, who was announced as president of the national theatre’s board of directors last Thursday, was one of the founding commanders of the White Eagles, one of the most feared militia units during the Yugoslavian wars of the 1990s.