Leskovac Man Arrested Over Posts Threatening Officials
Leskovac man S. T. (1972) was arrested and charged with calling for a violent change to Serbia's constitutional order. Counterterrorism officers took part in the arrest.
Serbia’s Ministry of Interior (MUP) announced on August 13 that it had arrested a man from Leskovac, S. T. (1972), on suspicion of the criminal offense of calling for a violent change to the constitutional order. According to the statement, the grounds for suspicion lie in content he posted through his social media account.
The wording of the statement is brief and sticks closely to the legal classification.
“Officers of the Ministry of Interior arrested S. T. (1972) from Leskovac on grounds of suspicion that he committed the criminal offense of calling for a violent change to the constitutional order.”
The ministry also specified who the posts targeted.
“Through an account on a social network, he shared posts calling for the killing of representatives of the government and the highest state bodies of the Republic of Serbia, of Serbia’s Interior Ministry and of the Security Information Agency (BIA).”
The quote covers three separate groups under the same charge: holders of power and the highest state bodies, police officers, and members of the BIA. The offense the suspect is charged with falls among criminal offenses against the constitutional order and the security of Serbia.
Who Carried Out the Arrest
The suspect was arrested by officers of the Ministry of Interior, the Criminal Police Directorate and the Counterterrorism Unit. The arrest was carried out on the order of the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade, Special Department for High-Tech Crime.
The makeup of the team and the prosecutor’s office involved point to how seriously the case is being treated. The order did not come from Leskovac or from any prosecutor’s office in southern Serbia, but from Belgrade, from the department that handles digital evidence. The Counterterrorism Unit is not involved in every case opened over content posted online.
What the Statement Leaves Out
Police did not disclose which social network the account was on, how many posts are under suspicion, or over what period they were made. There is also no word on whether the account was run under the suspect’s real name or how many followers it had. Nothing was said about whether the posts were reported by citizens or spotted through the monitoring police carry out on publicly available content.
Details like these usually go into the criminal complaint, and the public only sees them if the prosecution files an indictment and the case reaches trial.
What Happens After 48 Hours
The suspect has been ordered held for up to 48 hours.
“The suspect has been ordered held for up to 48 hours and will be brought before the public prosecutor along with a criminal complaint.”
After he is brought in, the prosecution decides how the case proceeds, and a court rules on any pretrial detention. The suspect’s guilt has not been established. Until a final verdict, S. T. remains a suspect, and it is up to the competent court to decide on his responsibility.
