Serbian authorities arrested nine active and one former police officers on Wednesday for “excessive use of force against detainees during last year’s anti-corruption protests in Belgrade”, the country’s Interior Ministry said.
Anti-corruption protests swept Serbia, a candidate country for European Union membership, in 2025 and 2026 after 16 people died when a concrete canopy over a renovated train station in the city of Novi Sad collapsed on November 1, 2024.
The protests ultimately led to the ousting of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), loyal to former president Aleksandar Vučić, during early legislative elections on October 25 organized by the leaderless Student List.
The ministry said in a statement that the suspects, who served in an elite unit, tortured and intimidated several people detained in the garage of the government compound in downtown Belgrade on August 14 and 15, 2025.
“By using force and threats, (they) inflicted great pain and suffering on more people, with the intention of obtaining information from them, intimidating them and unlawfully punishing them,” the statement said.
The department only provided the initials of the arrested officers and former officers. This is the first major arrest linked to violence against protesters who took to the streets in the past two years.
Police used tear gas, crowd control vehicles and stun grenades to disperse crowds during protests.
Dozens of students and activists who took part in the protests accused police of excessive use of “force,” leading to injuries and psychological trauma.
Serbian students, activists, opposition politicians and rights defenders have accused Vučić and the SNS of political violence, pressure against the media, links to organized crime and endemic corruption. Vučić and his allies deny these accusations.
Gn world
