# Arrest of "woman in red" Suzana Jović in Niš

Category: Persecution  
Period: from 23 May 2026  
Outcome: No one investigated (as of 27 May 2026)  

On 25 May 2026, seven plainclothes police officers took activist Suzana Jović, known as the woman in red, from her job at a fitness centre in Niš and drove her to Belgrade. The Interior Ministry says officers of the Criminal Police Directorate arrested her and one other person over unrest at a protest on 23 May. According to her lawyer, Jovan Rajić, she spent the night at a police station without a detention order, was questioned before a misdemeanour judge without a lawyer and was fined 90,000 dinars. We found no report of proceedings against the officers.

## Arrest in Niš

According to reports by N1, Danas and Južne vesti, on Monday 25 May 2026 plainclothes police officers entered the fitness centre in Niš where Suzana Jović works as a personal trainer, interrupted a session she was running and took her to Belgrade. According to gym staff, the officers arrived at around 14h. Two unmarked vehicles and seven officers came to Niš from Belgrade.

She says her phone was taken from her and switched off, so her family did not know where she was for hours. The Niš Police Directorate told Južne vesti that it had carried out no such action.

## What the Interior Ministry says

On 26 May, the Interior Ministry said officers of the Criminal Police Directorate had arrested S. J. and N. A. on suspicion of taking part in a large-scale breach of public order at a rally in Belgrade on 23 May 2026. According to police footage, they actively took part in organising the unrest, overturning and setting fire to waste containers, and throwing stones, firecrackers and flares at police officers.

According to the lawyer, the fine was imposed because Jović "was pushing a container".

## A night at the station and the hearing

Lawyer Jovan Rajić says Jović was not served with a detention order and was unlawfully held overnight at the 29 November police station. He says he was not allowed access to his client: after an hour and a half of waiting in the lobby, she came out with a fine.

Before the judge, she was fined 90,000 dinars for disturbing public order and peace.

## Reactions and the fine

Students blockading the Faculty of Law in Niš called the detention an abuse of police powers and demanded that all officials involved in it be held accountable.

Three days after the fine was imposed, members of the public had raised 90,000 dinars; Jović donated the surplus to the medical treatment of two sick children. Belgrade police gave Južne vesti no information, and the Interior Ministry did not answer questions from Danas about whether the detention was lawful.

## Participants

- [Criminal Police Directorate (UKP), Interior Ministry](https://odgovornost.rs/en/organizacije/ukp): Its inspectors arrested Jović at her workplace in Niš; the lawyer claims the whole procedure was unlawful, with no detention order (responsible)
- [Miloš Veljković](https://odgovornost.rs/en/osobe/milos-veljkovic): Allegedly did not serve a detention order on Jović, who then spent the night at the "29 November" station (responsible)
- [Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia](https://odgovornost.rs/en/organizacije/mup-srbije): Said the UKP had arrested Jović for overturning and setting fire to waste containers and throwing stones at police (commented on the case)
- [Misdemeanour Court in Belgrade](https://odgovornost.rs/en/organizacije/prekrsajni-sud-beograd): Its judge fined Jović 90,000 dinars; the lawyer claims he was not allowed to attend the hearing (investigation and courts)
- [Jovan Rajić](https://odgovornost.rs/en/osobe/jovan-rajic): As her defence lawyer, he claims the detention was unlawful and the hearing was held without him (oversight and the public)

## Victims and others harmed

- [Suzana Jović](https://odgovornost.rs/en/osobe/suzana-jovic)

## Sources

- [Danas: Seven plainclothes police officers took her from her workplace in Niš to Belgrade: Prokuplje woman penalised for pushing a waste container after the protest at Slavija](<https://www.danas.rs/vesti/drustvo/hapsenje-suzana-jovic-prokuplje-protest-nis/>): 26 May 2026
- [N1: "Woman in red" detained in Niš on Monday and brought to Belgrade is released; Rajić points to irregularities in her questioning](<https://n1info.rs/vesti/pustena-zena-u-crvenom-juce-privedena-u-nisu/>): 26 May 2026
- [N1: They sent seven police officers from Belgrade to Niš for her: the „Woman in red“ tells N1 about her harrowing experience of being detained](<https://n1info.rs/vesti/iz-beograda-su-u-nis-zbog-nje-poslali-sedam-policajaca-zena-u-crvenom-za-n1-o-jezivom-iskustvu-privodjenja/>): 27 May 2026
- [Južne vesti: “Woman in red” released after being detained at a gym in Niš yesterday and taken to Belgrade](<https://www.juznevesti.com/drustvo/pustena-zena-u-crvenom-koju-su-juce-priveli-u-teretani-u-nisu-i-odveli-za-beograd/>): 26 May 2026
- [Danas: „It was terrible“: activist Suzana Jović, arrested in Niš by seven Belgrade police officers because she „pushed a container“ after the protest at Slavija](<https://www.danas.rs/vesti/drustvo/bilo-je-strasno-aktivistkinja-suzana-jovic-koju-su-sedmorica-beogradskih-policajaca-hapsila-u-nisu-jer-je-posle-protesta-na-slaviji-gurala-kontejner/>): 27 May 2026
- [Danas: Niš students demand accountability for the “unlawful” arrest of activist Suzana Jović: Since when are citizens treated as the most dangerous criminals over a misdemeanour?](<https://www.danas.rs/vesti/drustvo/niski-studenti-traze-odgovornost-zbog-protivpravnog-hapsenja-aktivistkinje-suzane-jovic-od-kada-se-zbog-prekrsaja-gradjani-tretiraju-kao-najopasniji-kriminalci/>): 27 May 2026
- [Južne vesti: Citizens pay Suzana Jović's fine, surplus donated to children's medical treatment](<https://www.juznevesti.com/drustvo/gradjani-platili-kaznu-suzani-jovic-visak-novca-uplacen-za-lecenje-dece/>): 29 May 2026

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Source: Odgovornost, https://odgovornost.rs/en/afere/hapsenje-suzane-jovic-nis-2026  
As of: 6 Nov 2026  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)