What the ministry said

The interior ministry said the ten suspects served in an elite unit and tortured and intimidated people held in the garage of the government compound in downtown Belgrade on 14-15 August 2025. According to the ministry statement, they used force and threats to inflict great pain and severe suffering, obtain information, intimidate and unlawfully punish detainees. Only the initials of the officers and the former officer were provided.

First arrests after two years of protest

The detentions are the first major arrests tied to violence against protesters during two years of unrest. The anti-corruption protests began after 16 people died when a concrete canopy collapsed on a renovated railway station in Novi Sad on 1 November 2024, and swept Serbia in 2025 and 2026.

Police crowd-control measures during the demonstrations included:

• •teargas
• •crowd-control vehicles
• •stun grenades

used to disperse protest crowds.

Accusations and denials

Dozens of students and activists accused police of excessive use of force that caused injuries and psychological trauma. Students, activists, opposition politicians and rights watchdogs also accused Vučić and the SNS of political violence, pressure against media, ties to organised crime and rampant corruption - accusations Vučić and his allies deny. The SNS is loyal to former president Aleksandar Vučić.

Political backdrop

Voters ended the Serbian Progressive Party's rule in the 25 October snap parliamentary election, where the Student List, which runs without a single leader, came out on top. Serbia holds candidate status for European Union membership.

The ministry has released only the initials of the ten detained officers; the report names no further step in the proceedings.