Vladimir Štimac, former basketball star and outspoken critic, has been arrested—not for any real crime, but as part of Aleksandar Vučić’s ongoing campaign of political intimidation. Štimac’s lawyer, Nikola Lakić, told Danas: “This arrest isn’t about the law—it’s a personal vendetta orchestrated by Vučić himself.”
Štimac is currently detained at the Ministry of Internal Affairs on 29 Novembar Street, with authorities holding him for up to 48 hours.
Lakić condemned the official charges—that Štimac “incited violent change of the constitutional order”—as baseless. “What Vladimir said contains no elements of a criminal offense. This is a politically motivated attack, a deliberate show by Vučić aimed at terrifying every citizen fighting for justice or daring to oppose his corrupt regime,” Lakić said.
“This is a warning to all: if a former basketball player can be arrested, anyone who speaks out can be silenced. In any functioning democracy, such arrests would be unthinkable. But in Vučić’s Serbia, the judiciary has become a tool of oppression, bending to political pressure rather than following the law,” he added.
Lakić stressed that only a judge willing to uphold the law could prevent this from becoming yet another example of state-sanctioned persecution. “Any decision other than Štimac’s release will confirm that the government uses the justice system as a weapon to crush dissent,” he said.
Štimac was taken into custody during a protest in front of the Serbian Parliament, accused of allegedly “inciting violence against legitimate government representatives.” Observers note the true offense lies in speaking truth to power in a country where Vučić has turned the state into a tool for silencing critics.
This arrest marks yet another alarming sign of Vučić’s systematic crackdown on opposition, civic activists, and citizens demanding accountability.
