In this March 26, 2020, photo, Serbian army soldiers patrol in Belgrade's main pedestrian street, in Serbia. In the ex-communist Europe and elsewhere, rulers are assuming more power while they introduce harsh measures they say are necessary to halt coronavirus spread. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
March 31, 2020
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March 31, 2020 12:56 a.m.
Dismantling democracy? Virus used as excuse to quell dissent
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Soldiers patrol the streets with their fingers on machine gun triggers. The army guards an exhibition center-turned-makeshift-hospital crowded with rows of metal beds for those infected with the coronavirus. And Serbia’s president warns residents that Belgrade's graveyards won’t be big enough to bury the dead if people ignore his government's lockdown orders.