Serbian Court Orders 30-Day Detention for Nine in Protest Abuse Case

BELGRADE, 7 November 2026 — A Serbian court has ordered up to 30 days of pretrial detention for nine suspects in an investigation into alleged abuse and torture of people held during protests in August 2025. The First Basic Court in Belgrade announced its decision on Friday, 6 November, two days after the Interior Ministry disclosed that its internal-control unit had detained eight serving police officers and one former officer.

The court's original Serbian-language statement identifies nine defendants by initials and says a pretrial judge ordered detention for a maximum of 30 days. The decision cites the risk of interference with witnesses and the gravity and circumstances of the alleged violent offence. It also states that an appeal can be filed within three days of receipt of the ruling. The decision is a pretrial measure, not a conviction or a determination that the alleged torture occurred.

The earlier Interior Ministry statement, dated 4 November, says its internal-control unit acted at the direction of the First Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade. The ministry named eight current officers and one person who had been an officer at the time of the alleged incident. That original government account and the court's later statement both identify nine people. The court's order replaces the earlier short-term police detention with judicially authorized pretrial custody.

According to the ministry, investigators suspect the officers used force and threats against people held in a garage at the Serbian government building on Nemanjina Street in Belgrade between the night of 14 August and the early hours of 15 August 2025. Prosecutors allege the conduct was intended to extract information, intimidate and punish detainees. Those assertions are allegations under investigation, not findings of guilt.

The court says the suspected offence is abuse and torture committed jointly under Article 137 of Serbia's Criminal Code, read with Article 33. Its publicly accessible statement does not disclose a trial date, final evidence findings or the defendants' full responses. Any appeal could change the custody decision without deciding the underlying criminal case.

Regional reporting by Al Jazeera Balkans on 6 November independently described the court's detention order and cited the prosecutor's account of the case. It also reported broader allegations arising from student-led protests. This report does not adopt those additional allegations as established facts without the corresponding original records and responses.

The case comes amid public scrutiny of police conduct during Serbia's extended protest movement. The new, independently checkable development is the court's 6 November decision to hold nine suspects for up to 30 days. Questions about what happened in the garage, the reliability of witness testimony, any police disciplinary action and the defendants' explanations remain for investigation and adjudication.

The next documentary checkpoints are any custody appeals, the prosecutor's charging documents, defence statements and subsequent court decisions. A new report should distinguish those developments from the initial detention order and should not portray a procedural ruling as a verdict.

Sources: First Basic Court in Belgrade, public statement of 6 November 2026, https://prvi.os.sud.rs/vest/4278/s-a-o-p-s-t-e-nj-e-.php; Serbian government's publication of the Interior Ministry statement, 4 November 2026; Al Jazeera Balkans, 6 November 2026.