Serbian officers arrested for using ‘excessive force’ against protesters
Summary
Serbian authorities arrested nine active police officers and one former officer over allegations that they used excessive force against people detained during protests in Belgrade in August 2025. The arrests follow student-led protests that grew after a deadly railway-station collapse and culminated in the October electoral defeat of former President Aleksandar Vučić.Key Facts
- Serbia’s Ministry of Interior announced the arrests on Wednesday.
- The ministry alleges that the officers abused and tortured several injured people in a government-compound garage in Belgrade.
- The ministry said the suspects used force and threats to obtain information, intimidate people and punish them unlawfully.
- The ministry said the suspects served in an elite police unit.
- Serbia’s state broadcaster reported that Igor Zmirić, commander of the Special Antiterrorism Unit, was among those detained.
- Protests began after 16 people died when a railway-station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November 2024.
- The student-led movement has called for reforms to state institutions and the resignation of senior officials.
- Amnesty International’s 2025 report said protesters, journalists and civil society groups faced intimidation, harassment and unlawful surveillance.
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