Serbia Arrests 10 Officers Over Protester Torture Allegations

Serbian authorities have detained 10 law enforcement officers over allegations that they tortured and intimidated people arrested during anti-corruption demonstrations in Belgrade. The arrests, announced by the Interior Ministry on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, involve nine serving officers and one former officer suspected of abusing detainees inside a government compound in August 2025. Among those detained is Igor Žmirić, identified by Belgrade media as the commander of Serbia's Special Anti-Terrorist Unit (SAJ).

The arrests represent the first major detentions connected to allegations of police violence against participants in the country's anti-corruption protests. According to the Serbian Interior Ministry, the alleged abuse occurred between 10:30 p.m. on August 14, 2025, and 1 a.m. on August 15, 2025. The location was a garage inside the Serbian Government building on Nemanjina Street in central Belgrade.

The suspects allegedly used physical force and threats against multiple detainees to extract information, intimidate them and impose unlawful punishment. The ministry described the alleged conduct as causing severe physical pain and suffering.

"Through the use of force and threats, they inflicted great pain and severe suffering on a large number of injured parties, with the aim of obtaining information from them, intimidating them and unlawfully punishing them," the Serbian Interior Ministry said in its statement. The investigation involves members of the ministry's Unit for the Security of Certain Persons and Facilities. Serbian media reported that the Internal Control Sector carried out the arrests following an order from the First Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade.

All 10 suspects were ordered to remain in custody for up to 48 hours. The ministry said they would be brought before the competent prosecutor's office within the legally prescribed deadline. The detained individuals include eight additional serving officers alongside Žmirić and one former Interior Ministry officer. Authorities released their initials rather than their full names.

The case stems from widespread demonstrations that followed the collapse of a concrete canopy at a renovated railway station in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024. The disaster killed 16 people and triggered public anger over alleged corruption, construction oversight and government accountability. Anti-corruption protests spread across Serbia throughout 2025 and 2026.

Students, activists and opposition figures repeatedly accused police of excessive force during demonstrations, while dozens of participants reported injuries and psychological trauma. Security forces used tear gas, crowd-control vehicles and stun grenades to disperse protesters during the demonstrations, according to The Guardian. The alleged treatment of detainees in the government garage has become a central focus of the latest criminal investigation.

The political crisis also intensified pressure on former president Aleksandar Vučić and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). Students, opposition politicians and human rights organizations accused the administration of political violence, pressure on independent media, links to organized crime and widespread corruption.

Vučić and his political allies have denied those accusations. The Student List defeated the SNS in the snap parliamentary election held on October 25, 2026, according to the reports.