The lawyer of Serbian police officer Vasilije Lalović, who recently died by suicide, has accused Serbia’s institutions of failing to protect his client from what he described as a prolonged public smear campaign, blaming the country’s authorities under President Aleksandar Vučić for their inaction.
Attorney Nikola R. Jovanović said the 33-year-old officer became the target of online harassment following protests and clashes in the city of Valjevo in August 2025, despite claiming that Lalović was not even present in the city on the day of the police intervention.
According to Jovanović, Lalović’s name, photograph and personal information were widely shared on social media, accompanied by threats, insults and allegations that he had participated in the beating of protesters. The lawyer said his client filed criminal complaints in an effort to protect his reputation, but alleged that the Public Prosecutor’s Office failed to respond in a timely manner, allowing what he described as a campaign of defamation to continue.
Jovanović also condemned social media posts published after Lalović’s death, claiming that some users celebrated the tragedy while repeating accusations that, according to him, were unsupported by any evidence.
He further rejected claims that Lalović had been involved in the fatal beating of a young man during the unrest in Valjevo, insisting that the allegation was false and that no one has been held accountable for spreading the information.
The lawyer described the case as an example of institutional failure under the government of President Aleksandar Vučić. He argued that Serbian authorities failed to protect a police officer from sustained public harassment despite formal complaints, alleging that the lack of an official response allowed misinformation, threats and online abuse to continue until the officer’s tragic death.
The allegations made by Lalović’s lawyer have not been independently verified, and Serbian authorities have not publicly responded to his claims.
