Serbian Opposition Leader Says He Was Beaten by Secret Service

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Facts

  • Nikola Sandulović, an opposition leader in Serbia, claims he was beaten and tortured by Serbian secret service police, causing him to be paralyzed on his left side and suffer damage. He spoke out for the first time since the alleged incident, releasing a statement on Wednesday.1
  • On Jan. 3, a black van allegedly came to Sandulović's home and took him to the Security Intelligence Agency headquarters where approximately 15 government agents beat him. The politician was hospitalized the next day before being transferred to a prison, where he could not communicate with the outside world.2
  • Sandulović was released from a detention center in the southern Serbian city of Nis on Monday, according to his lawyer, Cedomir Stojkovic, who added that Western pressure contributed to the release.3
  • Serbia’s Public Prosecutor's office said that Sandulović faced up to 30 days in detention for a 'suspected criminal act of causing racial, national, and religious hatred.' A photo depicting a beaten Sandulović circulated on X Jan. 4, but the Prosecutor's office released a statement on Jan. 11, saying that hospital findings showed no injuries.4
  • Sandulović has been under scrutiny for reposting a video of him visiting the grave of Adem Jashari, a founder of the Kosovo Liberation army who was killed by Serbian police in 1998. The Serbian Republican party leader has also apologized for alleged war crimes Serbs committed against ethnic Albanians during the late 1990s.1
  • The incident comes as protesters carry out demonstrations against Pres. Aleksander Vucic’s populist government, claiming that the Dec. 17 election was stolen. Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party deny the allegations.5

Sources: 1Guardian, 2The New European, 3Vijesti.Me, 4European Western Balkans and 5Associated Press.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by The New European. The reprehensible abduction and abuse of Nikola Sandulović demonstrates the autocratic and oppressive nature of the Vucic regime. While the government accuses Sandulović of promoting unrest by simply posting a video of a Kosovan leader’s grave, Sandulović’s real 'crime' is his criticism of Vucic. The Serbian government clearly has no qualms about abusing political dissidents, and the actions taken against Sandulović show that the Vucic regime doesn’t value democracy at all.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Beta Briefing. Nikola Sandulović is a politician who has no support from the Serbian people or its government, so he's now making up lies to undermine Serbian society and promote ethnic tension. There's no evidence that suggests that intelligence agents beat Sandulović, and he is trying to gain Western sympathy by running a smear campaign against Pres. Vucic and his government. Perhaps Sandulović should try to win over the Serbian people instead of making up lies to sow discord in Serbian politics.

Predictions