Serbia's populist president, Aleksandar Vucic, called on Friday for dialogue with anti-government protesters following more than nine months of demonstrations in the Balkan country that have challenged his rule.

Serbian police have fired tear gas at anti-government protesters in downtown Belgrade as they clashed for the third day on the streets of the country's capital and other cities amid reports of police brutality and excessive use of force during the unrest.

Serbian anti-government protesters accused police Tuesday of beating and threatening detained activists, fuelling fears of a spiralling crackdown after a week of violent clashes. More than 100 protesters have been detained,