Five of those arrested for allegedly subverting the constitutional order were ordered to be detained for up to 30 days, while one was ordered to be placed under house arrest. Among those arrested are oppositionist Ivan Matović and trade unionist and activist Novica Antić. All six deny guilt, and the case is followed by a media campaign similar to the one from March this year
Five suspected of "subverting the constitutional order" in the Republic of Serbia, the High Court in Belgrade ordered custody for up to 27 days on Friday (June 30).
One of suspect, Srđan G was placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring, reports portal N1.
Ivan Matović was previously questioned at the High Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade on Thursday. Novica Antic, Branko M, Aleksandar I, Vidan K and Srđan G., who are accused of preparing a violent change of government in the Republic of Serbia, and two of them of carrying firearms without authorization.
All the suspects denied committing the crime.
After the hearing, the prosecution proposed to the judge for the preliminary proceedings of the High Court in Belgrade to order the suspects into custody "so that they do not repeat the crime in a short period of time".
The six suspects are charged with the criminal offense of Preparing an offense against the constitutional order and security of Serbia from Article 320 in connection with the criminal offense of Calling for violent change of the constitutional order from Article 309 of the Criminal Code.
Ivan Matović and Branko M. are also charged with the criminal offense of Unauthorized production, possession, carrying and trafficking of weapons and explosive substances from Article 348 of the Criminal Code.
What are they accused of?
As the Prosecution claims, there are grounds for suspicion that the suspects held a meeting in a hotel in Kraljevo on June 21, 2025 and "planned a violent change of government in the Republic of Serbia."
"They agreed not to return home until they 'kill or destroy' representatives of state institutions, announced the use of firearms, arranged an attack on members of the police with the aim of disarming them, and a violent invasion of the RS Government building and other institutions, as well as the media outlets Radio Television of Serbia, Happy and Informer," the Prosecution claims.
Also, during a stop by police officers on June 25, 2025, in a "Škoda" vehicle driven by Matović, a CZ 765 pistol with a polished serial number, with a frame containing 7 bullets and a factory box with 25 pieces of related ammunition, was found in a purse on the passenger seat, they state.
During the search, a rifle, nine boxes with a total of 135 rifle bullets, as well as two more rifle bullets and two pistol bullets were found in the house where Branko M. lives in Kragujevac.
Media frenzy
However, the arrest of six suspects for allegedly "subverting the constitutional order" was accompanied by tabloid hysteria. As in the case of the activists arrested on the eve of March 15, this time pro-regime television coordinatedly published recordings of the suspects' bar conversation, presenting it as absolute proof that they were thugs and terrorists who were preparing an attack on their own country.
"It was almost identical when my mom was arrested just a day before March 15," Milan Canak told Vreme, the son of Marija Vasić, a professor of sociology at the Jovin High School in Novi Sad, who was arrested in an operation on the eve of March 15. "This is absolutely the same scenario - they arrest people and smear them in order to intimidate anyone who thinks of coming out on Vidovdan to protest. Fear is what Vučić rules."
Even now, there are prominent names among those arrested. There are the opposition councilor in Kraljevo, Ivan Matović, as well as the former president of the Military Union of Serbia, Novica Antić. As his lawyer Ivan Ninić announced on Thursday, Antic went on a hunger strike to protest his detention.
As Ninic said, in order to prove that someone committed a criminal offense against the constitutional order, you have to show that they have the desire, awareness, and means to do so, that they made specific agreements for a specific event at that meeting in that garden in Kraljevo.
"And to you, does the content of that published conversation refer to the preparation of a criminal act or to every conversation that we all have in cafes and bars," Ninic asked.
And while the public is debating the justification of such arrests, the state is saying - this is not the end. As the President of the National Assembly Ana Brnabić said, in the coming days more people will end up behind bars. The president of the Serbian Progressive Party, Miloš Vučević, said the same.
Sources: N1/Vreme
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A black picture and the breakdown of the rule of law subscribeThe archive of the weekly Vreme includes all our digital editions, since the very beginning of our work. All issues can be downloaded in PDF format, by purchasing the digital edition, or you can read all available texts from the selected issue.
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