The key facts

  • Nine police officers arrested on suspicion of torturing students in the garage of the government building in Belgrade in August 2025
  • According to RTS, among those detained is special unit commander Igor Zmiric
  • The arrests came a month after the student movement's victory in the parliamentary elections

Arrests in the Belgrade violence case

Serbia's Interior Ministry announced that on Wednesday eight serving police officers and one former officer were arrested on suspicion of abuse and torture. According to the investigation, in August 2025, while on duty, the suspects 'used force and threats, inflicting severe pain and suffering on several victims' in order to 'obtain information, intimidate and unlawfully punish' them. The incident in question took place in a garage inside the government building in Belgrade, Euronews reports.

Who has been detained

Officially, those arrested have been identified only by initials and year of birth. However, the Serbian state broadcaster RTS reported that among those detained is Igor Zmiric, commander of the country's special anti-terrorist unit. Student activist Nikolina Sindjelic, who was previously detained during the August protests, accused Zmiric of kicking her while she was lying on the floor of the garage.

Context: from protests to elections

Mass protests in Serbia began in 2024 after the deaths of people in the collapse at a recently renovated railway station in November of that year; the tragedy sparked widespread demonstrations and questions about the authorities' accountability and corruption. Student groups repeatedly accused the police of brutality when dispersing demonstrations. In late October this year, the student movement 'Student List', which grew out of months of protests, won the parliamentary elections, defeating the country's long-time leader Aleksandar Vucic, and quickly became the country's main political force. The arrests of the police officers came about a month after those elections.