Serbia arrests 10 current and former police officers over alleged protester abuse

Nine serving Serbian police officers and a former officer have been arrested on suspicion of using excessive force against students during protests last year. The demonstrations preceded the electoral defeat of former President Aleksandar Vucic in October, and the arrests come amid demands from the winning student-led movement for changes to state institutions.

The Ministry of Interior announced the arrests on Wednesday, saying the allegations concerned events in August 2025 at a government compound in Belgrade. According to the ministry, several people were abused and tortured inside the compound’s garage. It alleged that the officers involved were on duty at the time of the incident.

In its account, the ministry accused the suspects of using threats and physical force to cause severe suffering to people who were injured. It said the purpose was to extract information, intimidate those involved and punish them unlawfully. The allegations place the conduct of officers during the protest movement at the centre of the arrests.

Authorities identified the suspects only by their initials and said they had served in an elite police unit. State broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia reported that Igor Zmiric, commander of the Special Antiterrorism Unit, was among those detained. The ministry’s announcement did not name the suspects in full.

Serbia’s anticorruption demonstrations began after a railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November 2024, killing 16 people. The disaster came to represent what protesters regarded as widespread corruption under Vucic. He had held the presidency for 12 years before conceding defeat following parliamentary elections in October.

Since that vote, the victorious student-led protest movement has sought reforms to public institutions, with the police and intelligence services among its targets. Protesters have also demanded the resignation of senior officials they accuse of colluding with Vucic during his time in power.

The election result has raised hopes for Serbia’s entry into the European Union. The bloc has offered further accession negotiations on the condition that the new government strengthens democracy. Meanwhile, Amnesty International’s 2025 report on Serbia described intimidation, harassment and unlawful surveillance affecting protesters, journalists and civil society organisations as authorities tried to contain widespread discontent. It also reported excessive force against demonstrators in multiple locations across the country.