Serbia detains police officers over alleged use of force against protesters

Interior ministry claims suspects tortured and intimidated protesters detained in garage of government compound

Serbian authorities detained nine active police officers and one former officer on Wednesday for ⁠allegedly using excessive force against detainees during anti-corruption protests last year in Belgrade, the country’s interior ministry ⁠said.

Anti-corruption protests swept ⁠across Serbia, a candidate for European Union membership, in 2025 and 2026 after 16 people died when a concrete canopy ⁠on a renovated railway station in the city of Novi Sad collapsed on 1 November 2024.

The protests ultimately ⁠resulted in the ouster of the populist Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), which is loyal to former president Aleksandar Vučić, in an 25 October snap parliamentary election by the leaderless Student List.