Serbia arrests eight officers over custody death

Serbian prosecutors said Friday that eight officers had been arrested on suspicion of torturing a man who died in police custody two years ago.

The man had been detained in April 2024 on suspicion of helping conceal a body in a missing toddler case that shocked Serbia.

A two-year-old girl went missing in March 2024 in the eastern town of Bor. Police said she had been killed in a hit-and-run and arrested two suspects, but her body has never been found and the murder case remains in pre-trial proceedings.

The man who died in custody was the brother of one of the suspects. Police said at the time that the 40-year-old died after falling ill, while independent media reported that forensic findings suggested he had been beaten to death.

Prosecutors said the eight arrested officers are suspected of inflicting grievous bodily harm resulting in death, as well as abuse and torture. They said arrests had been ordered in the past but that the Interior Ministry's internal affairs unit had failed to act.

The arrests come amid reforms demanded by Serbia's student-led movement after its October 25 election victory, which ended 14 years of rule by the right-wing Serbian Progressive Party.

Since the election, several senior police officers have been arrested on various charges, and Serbia's intelligence chief faces questioning over alleged electoral interference.