Serbia

A detainee, Dalibor Dragijević, has died after reportedly suffering severe injuries from brutal torture at a police station in Bor, an incident that has led to the arrest of eight members of the Police Directorate (UKP) and raised questions about potential cover-ups. Separately, the director of Zabela prison was arrested following a police intervention that uncovered an alleged SNS call center operating within the prison, where cigarettes were also found.

In other developments, Predrag Vuletić, the Provincial Secretary for Social Policy, Demography and Gender Equality, and his associate have been detained for up to 30 days on suspicion of abusing their official position in the allocation of housing subsidies. The National Bank of Serbia has fined the authorized exchange office Alta Group with 250 million dinars, while an economic analyst has discussed the shortage of euros and the Alta Bank case. President Aleksandar Vučić has warned about the potential closure of the Smederevo steel mill, raising economic concerns.

The media landscape is also seeing shifts, with N1 and Nova S joining Telekom's offering, a move that has been described as closing an expensive circle after years of conflict. Additionally, media mogul Dragan Šolak has reportedly exited the media business to focus on football. A criminal complaint has been filed against Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski, the Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran, and Social Policy, by the Trade Union of Social Protection Employees.