Serbian Police Officers Detained Over Alleged Excessive Force on Student Protesters
Nine active officers and a former officer were arrested for allegedly torturing protesters in Belgrade last August.
Wow! The Serbian Ministry of Interior confirmed on Wednesday that ten police officers have been taken into custody over alleged excessive force during last year’s student protests.
According to the ministry, nine serving officers and one former officer “used force and threats to inflict severe pain and suffering on several injured people, in order to obtain information, intimidate and unlawfully punish them.”
The alleged abuse took place in the garage of a government compound in Belgrade in August 2025, where the suspects are said to have tortured several individuals.
The ministry released only the initials of the detainees but identified them as members of an elite unit. State broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia reported that the commander of the Special Antiterrorism Unit, Igor Zmiric, is among those detained.
Student‑led protests erupted after a tragic canopy collapse at a Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, which killed 16 people and sparked accusations of widespread corruption under former President Aleksandar Vučić, who served for 12 years before conceding defeat in the recent parliamentary elections.
Since the vote, the protest movement has been pressing for reforms within the police and intelligence services and calling for the resignation of top officials they accuse of colluding with Vučić while he was in power.
European Union officials have indicated a willingness to continue accession talks if Serbia’s new government strengthens democratic institutions.
Amnesty International’s 2025 report warned that protesters, journalists and civil‑society groups “continued to face intimidation, harassment and unlawful surveillance as authorities sought to rein in widespread discontent,” noting multiple instances of excessive force against demonstrators across the country.
The arrests mark a significant development in the ongoing demand for accountability within Serbia’s security forces.
