A court in Belgrade has ordered up to 30 days of detention for nine members of Serbia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs suspected of abusing and torturing students and citizens detained during protests in August last year at a garage inside the Serbian Government building.
The First Basic Court in Belgrade ordered the detention of the suspects identified by the initials V. L., J. O., B. J., D. V., N. D., N. F., Z. V., I. Ž. and M. V. The court said the measure was imposed to prevent them from influencing witnesses and because the alleged offences had caused public concern, RTS reported.
The prosecution had also requested detention on the grounds that the suspects might repeat the alleged offences. It pointed out that eight of them remain employed by the Interior Ministry, while the ninth works for the Administration for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions.
Former JZO commander also under investigation
According to the investigation order issued by the First Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade, the suspects allegedly took part in the abuse of ten people in the government building’s garage on Nemanjina Street during the night of August 14–15, 2025, between 10:30 p.m. and 1 a.m.
The suspects were members of the Unit for the Protection of Certain Persons and Facilities (JZO). Prosecutors allege that, together with the first defendant, identified as M. K., they used force and threats to inflict severe pain and suffering on the detainees in order to obtain information, intimidate them and punish them unlawfully.
M. K. is expected to be questioned at a later stage.
Serbian media have identified him as Marko Kričak, who at the time commanded the JZO and later became head of the Criminal Police Directorate. The Higher Court in Belgrade has separately ordered his detention for up to 30 days in another case, in which he is suspected of abuse of office in connection with a killing at the “27” restaurant, as well as abuse and torture.
Media reports have also identified Igor Žmirić among the suspects in the government garage case. He was appointed commander of the Interior Ministry’s Special Anti-Terrorist Unit (SAJ) in September 2025.
Before the court issued its decision, the Interior Ministry’s Internal Control Sector ordered the suspects to be held for up to 48 hours.
Student’s testimony brought allegations into public spotlight
The case was brought to public attention by Nikolina Sinđelić, a student at the Faculty of Political Sciences. A day after the protest, she told N1 that Kričak had slapped her in the government garage and threatened to rape her.
At the time, the Interior Ministry rejected her allegations. Interior Minister Ivica Dačić accused her of lying, while Kričak later filed a lawsuit against her.
According to an investigation by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), members of the JZO dragged at least 15 people into the garage that night. They were subsequently transferred in groups to police stations in Voždovac, New Belgrade and Stari Grad.
Witnesses described incidents of slapping, kicking, spitting, verbal abuse and the destruction of mobile phones.
The prosecution launched the investigation on its own initiative and consolidated the reported incidents into a single case. Amnesty International had also called for an investigation.
Under Serbian law, an official found guilty of committing abuse and torture faces a prison sentence of between two and ten years.
