A chilling investigation by BIRN Serbia has exposed a nightmarish episode of police brutality inside the very heart of government in Belgrade. Detainees arrested during anti-government protests on August 14 were dragged into the underground garage of the Serbian Government building, where they were systematically beaten, humiliated, and threatened with sexual violence. Testimonies from students, activists, and bystanders describe an atmosphere of sadistic abuse reminiscent of authoritarian regimes in Eastern Europe, where state security forces act above the law.
Victims recounted being slapped, kicked in the head and stomach, doused with pepper spray, and forced to endure degrading insults. Phones were confiscated and smashed, legal representation was denied, and threats of rape and mutilation were openly hurled by the commander of the police protection unit, Marko Kričak. Amnesty International and Civil Rights Defenders characterized the reported conduct as torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment—clear violations of international law.
The brutality did not end in the garage. Victims who spoke publicly were quickly targeted by smear campaigns, including the online circulation of private photos of student activist Nikolina Sinđelić, while other detainees described intimidation and the destruction of their personal devices. The pattern mirrors wider allegations of excessive force and harassment during Serbia’s recent protest wave.
Far from being an isolated incident, the Serbian Government garage has become a symbol of state terror—where citizens are dragged into the basement of power to be broken into silence. The systematic abuse described by witnesses, coupled with the authorities’ evasive denials, exposes a regime willing to use methods indistinguishable from those of Lukashenko’s Belarus. What unfolded beneath the Government building in Belgrade is not policing—it is political torture in the service of authoritarian rule in Europe’s heartland.
