Serbia Detains Ten Police Officers Over Alleged Abuse of Detainees During Belgrade Protests
Nine serving officers and one former officer were taken into custody over alleged torture of people held during the 2025 anti-corruption protests, the Interior Ministry said.
Belgrade, Serbia. Serbian authorities detained nine serving police officers and one former officer on Wednesday on suspicion of using excessive force against people in custody during last year’s anti-corruption protests in the capital, the Interior Ministry reported.
Allegations against the officers
The ministry said the suspects belonged to an elite unit and tortured and intimidated several people held in the garage of the government compound in central Belgrade on August 14-15, 2025. According to the statement, they used force and threats to cause severe pain and suffering to a larger number of people, seeking to obtain information from them and to intimidate and unlawfully punish them.
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RelatedSerbian Police Kill Knife-Wielding Suspect Near Israeli Embassy in BelgradeThe ministry gave only the initials of the detained officers and the former officer. The arrests are the first major ones linked to violence against protesters who have taken to the streets over the past two years.
Background to the protests
Demonstrations against corruption spread across Serbia, a candidate for European Union membership, in 2025 and 2026. They began after 16 people died on November 1, 2024, when a concrete canopy on a renovated railway station in the city of Novi Sad collapsed.
The protests ultimately led to the removal from power of the populist Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), which is loyal to ex-President Aleksandar Vucic. The leaderless Student List defeated the party in a snap parliamentary election on October 25.
Police conduct and political accusations
During the protests, police dispersed crowds with tear gas, crowd-control vehicles and stun grenades. Dozens of students and activists who took part accused officers of excessive force that caused injuries and psychological trauma.
Serbian students, activists, opposition politicians and rights watchdogs have accused Vucic and the SNS of political violence, pressure against media, ties to organised crime and rampant corruption. Vucic and his allies deny the accusations.
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