Students Nikolina Sinđelić and Stevan Zdravković lost their phones after last night’s protest when, as they claim, members of the JZO (Special Police Forces), regular police, and masked men led them into the Government building’s garage, and later to the Police Station in Majke Jevrosime.
Nikolina, a student, explained what happened.
“I was on Kneza Miloša street; my colleague and I were in the presence of the president of the NPS (People’s Movement of Serbia), Miroslav Aleksić, and an NPS MP. After we parted ways, Stevan, another friend, and I started heading home. We were going down Nemanjina street when, at that moment, members of the JZO and police, and many masked men, ran out of the Government garage. They rushed out and started beating people with batons and telescopic clubs… They were all mostly in plain clothes, no one was in uniform,” she said.
She added that she didn’t know Stevan had been detained.
“We saw each other when they took us into the garage, behind those bars. They threw everything on the floor; we had to lie on the floor. They lined us up like criminals; some had zip ties and handcuffs. We had to look at the floor. After a few moments, the JZO commander, Marko Kričak, appeared. First, we had to empty everything from our bags, which is where I had an unpleasant experience. I think that’s why they started to be violent because there was a camera in my bag. It was turned off, but when you turn it on, a red light comes on to show it’s empty. Then they called me a ‘whore,’ saying ‘You were filming us.’ They broke my colleagues’ phones, took mine, and went to the van. My phone was split in half; they confiscated my camera and said I would never see it again,” she continued.
The main thing in all of this, she says, is “that Marko Kričak slapped her and hit her head against the wall.”
“He said he was going to undress me and rape me in front of everyone, that everyone would watch. I was visibly angry. He said, ‘You should beg me to stop beating you,’ and he told a guy that the violence was just getting started. I talked back to him; I didn’t want to stay silent, and he became more and more violent. We spent three hours in that garage; then they took us to the station in Majke Jevrosime. When they put everyone in the van, they told me to stay outside. I was afraid to be alone with Kričak. I pleaded with a police officer, and he helped me. I would like to thank him; I really think he saved me. They offered me help, asked if I needed to go to the doctor. I’ll probably get checked out today because the pain won’t stop,” she said.
She further states that they were in Majke Jevrosime for two hours and that she stayed 20 or 30 minutes longer than her other colleagues.
“Different police officers kept changing, and so did the information about prosecution. But when I mentioned I would call a lawyer, who is also an NPS MP, they completely changed their behavior. They said there was no need to call anyone,” said Sinđelić.
Zdravković showed what Nikolina’s broken phone looks like and explained the sequence of events.
“Our positions at that moment were extremely similar. We were 2, 3 meters away. I saw the Gendarmerie retreating from Slavija, and we started to move toward the Monument to Stefan Nemanja. We went down, and 30, 40 police officers jumped out—we didn’t know at that moment—they ran out. I started to run; they swarmed me; I fell; I was bruised, but compared to what some others went through, I’m lucky. They grabbed us, put zip ties on our hands. I said I didn’t do anything, but they didn’t care and pulled us inside. I understand they were ordered to do that. They took us into the garage; we went through the same thing; we were just in different parts of that garage,” he said.
Zdravković also stated that they were on the floor.
“We had to look down; we weren’t allowed to move our heads by accident so we wouldn’t see something illegal. They immediately took our phones and broke them. Someone’s was broken with a baton, hers with a hand, and mine with a foot against a wall,” he said, stating that it was a “traumatic experience.”
He emphasized the “fearlessness that his colleague showed.”
“At Majke Jevrosime, they were wonderful compared to those who were in the Government garage. When Kričak shows up, the other police officers don’t dare to make a sound. They are afraid of him. Imagine how we felt then,” he said.
The Ministry of Interior Denies the Student’s Claims
The Ministry of Internal Affairs “categorically denies the allegations that appeared today in some media outlets and on social media about the alleged mistreatment of Nikolina Sinđelić” in the Republic of Serbia Government building, emphasizing that “the police acted in accordance with the law, and they were brought into the Government building solely for the purpose of protecting their safety,” they state.
“Namely, Nikolina Sinđelić (22) from Obrenovac, a member of the ‘Mladi Borba’ movement, along with S. Z. (25) from Niš, D. C. (26) from Belgrade, Đ. K. (41) from Belgrade, Đ. M. (24) from Požarevac, and R. N. (26) from Belgrade, participated late last night, on August 14, 2025, around 11 p.m., in an illegal public gathering and blocking of traffic at the corner of Kneza Miloša and Nemanjina streets,” the Ministry of Interior claims.
They further state that this group, “ignoring the warnings of police officers, called on citizens to attack the police.”
“(The group) then threw rocks, glass bottles, and flares at police officers and the Government building of the Republic of Serbia at Nemanjina 11. The police brought these individuals into the Government building solely for their protection until an official vehicle arrived to transport them to the Stari Grad Police Station for further proceedings,” they added.
According to the Ministry of Interior, a flare was found on Nikolina Sinđelić at that time.
“Around 1:30 a.m., the mentioned individuals were brought to the Stari Grad Police Station in a police vehicle. The duty prosecutor of the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade was immediately contacted, and they stated that there were no elements of a criminal offense. The duty misdemeanor judge was also contacted and ordered that all individuals be issued misdemeanor reports in a regular procedure for a violation of the Law on Public Order and Peace,” they added.
These individuals were released from the police station at 3 a.m., the Ministry of Interior said.
“Throughout the entire procedure, there was no use of force, tying, insults, or any form of mistreatment. All police actions were carried out in accordance with the law and exclusively for the protection of public order, peace, and the safety of participants and citizens. The Ministry of Internal Affairs calls on all media to publish only verified information and to refrain from spreading untruths that damage the reputation of state bodies and deceive the public,” they conclude.
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Source: N1, Foto: F. S./ATAImages ; N1