{
  "id": 16023805,
  "title": "Beatings, cyberattacks and threats darken Vucic’s Serbia ahead of elections",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/beatings-cyberattacks-and-threats-darken-vucics-serbia-ahead-of",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-22T09:38:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Maverick",
    "slug": "daily-maverick",
    "url": "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-22-beatings-cyberattacks-and-threats-darken-vucics-serbia-ahead-of-elections/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Serbian activist Marko Marjanovic was recently detained by masked police officers in Belgrade and held in solitary confinement for two days under bright lights. This is not the first time Marjanovic has been subjected to such treatment; in August 2025, he was beaten by police during anti-government protests, part of what he and his lawyer describe as a campaign to silence him.\n\nFormer President Aleksandar Vucic, seeking to extend his 12-year hold on power by running for prime minister in an upcoming election, is facing accusations of repression and corruption. Critics claim that the country is becoming increasingly authoritarian, with press freedoms waning and corruption on the rise. Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) deny these allegations, but opposition politicians and activists paint a concerning picture of the Balkan nation.\n\nThe student-led protest movement, which has fielded 250 candidates in the upcoming election, is Vucic's biggest political challenge since coming to power. A recent poll shows the students neck and neck with the SNS. Dragan Popovic, head of the Center for Practical Politics, notes that there has never been such good organization on the pro-democratic side of society during Vucic's time in power.\n\nSerbia's press freedom has hit a new low, with the 2026 World Press Freedom Index ranking the country 104th out of 180 countries, the lowest ever. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index also ranks Serbia at the bottom of its two-decade record. Six Serbian journalists, including four who have fled the country, are in exile due to political attacks.\n\nDigital rights group SHARE Foundation reported that 14 people were targeted with advanced spyware in September. Jelena Kontic, a protester, received a message from Apple indicating that the Pegasus spyware tool may have been installed on her phone, with forensic tests confirming this. Kontic revealed that the spyware had access to her entire life, including her daily routine and personal habits.\n\nProtesters have also reported being brutalized by police. Dusan Radovic, a 26-year-old architect, was beaten by riot police in Valjevo in August, sustaining injuries that left him limping for two months. A video verified by Reuters captured the brutal beating. Radovic was among 25 people, some minors, who were severely beaten that night, according to an independent report by forensic specialists.",
  "summary": "Serbian activist Marko Marjanovic was on his way back from the supermarket in Belgrade when masked officers bundled him into a car and took him to a police station basement where he was held in solitary confinement for two days under bright lights.",
  "key_points": [
    "Serbian activist Marko Marjanovic detained and held in solitary confinement",
    "Former President Vucic accused of repression and corruption",
    "Serbia ranked 104th in World Press Freedom Index"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The escalation of state-led physical violence and digital surveillance signals a shift toward total authoritarian control as the ruling party attempts to suppress a highly organized democratic opposition.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}