Bor Arrests: Serbia's Police Oversight Must Act When Prosecutors Order It

Few criminal cases in recent years have shaken Serbia like the death of two-year-old Danka Ilić. That is exactly why the way the state investigates it matters so much. On Friday, seven officers of the Bor police were arrested on suspicion of torturing the two men accused of killing her. A week earlier, eight officers were arrested over the death in custody of the uncle of one of the accused. These are serious allegations, and the officers are entitled to the presumption of innocence. But the arrests themselves are a sign that the institutions are, finally, testing claims that have hung over the case for more than two years.

The sentence that needs an answer

One line in the Niš prosecutor's statement deserves more attention than it has received: the prosecutor had previously ordered the arrest of all seven suspects, and the Interior Ministry's Internal Control Sector did not act. An internal oversight body that does not carry out a prosecutor's order is not a technical glitch. It goes to the heart of whether the police can be held to account by anyone outside the police.

There may be an explanation. Perhaps there was a procedural dispute, a question of evidence, or a conflict of jurisdiction. If so, the ministry should say so publicly and in detail. Silence leaves room for the worst interpretation: that officers were shielded until the political climate changed.

Why this matters beyond Bor

Confessions obtained through abuse are not only a crime against the person in custody. They can also undermine the case against the guilty, mislead investigators and deny victims' families the truth. Everyone who wants justice for Danka Ilić, whatever they believe about the accused, has an interest in a clean investigation.

A task for the next government

Most police officers do difficult work honestly, and they too lose when misconduct goes unpunished. The incoming government, which has campaigned on accountability, should make the independence and effectiveness of police oversight an early priority: a clear legal duty to execute prosecutors' orders without delay, public annual reporting on complaints and outcomes, and protection for officers who report abuse. The point is not to target the police, but to give citizens a reason to trust it.