Brutal arrest of Savo Manojlović on the Old Sava Bridge

Category: Violence against citizens

Period: from 20 Nov 2024

Outcome: No one investigated (as of 13 Mar 2026)

On 20 November 2024, police on the Old Sava Bridge in Belgrade knocked Kreni-Promeni leader Savo Manojlović to the ground, handcuffed him and carried him off the bridge. The Clinical Centre says no injuries were found, but the movement says otherwise and states that he had surgery on his wrist. According to the movement, the order came through Aleksandar Vučić and commander Radoslav Repac. Misdemeanour proceedings are under way against Manojlović, while criminal complaints against the police have so far only been announced.

Arrest on the bridge

On 20 November 2024, citizens were trying to stop the removal of the tram tracks from the Old Sava Bridge in Belgrade. A police cordon knocked Savo Manojlović to the concrete, tied his hands and carried him off the bridge; councillor Aleksandar Jovanović was also detained.

The interior minister said the police reacted because Manojlović tried to break through the cordon, while the movement said the citizens had raised their hands and wanted to cross peacefully.

The injuries and the dispute over them

The University Clinical Centre of Serbia said that diagnostic tests found no injuries on Manojlović. The movement disputes this: its spokesperson cites a discharge summary showing signs of a broken rib, and Manojlović said he had bruising and severe pain in his ribs.

The movement says he had surgery on his wrist on 20 March 2025 because of injuries sustained on the bridge.

Who gave the order

In the "Lustration Dossier" published on 3 July 2025, Kreni-Promeni stated that Police Brigade commander Radoslav Repac was in direct communication with Aleksandar Vučić when the order was given to beat and arrest Manojlović.

In March 2026, Manojlović said the orders went through Vučić, his office and Repac. No response from Vučić or Repac has been published.

Misdemeanour proceedings

The police filed a request for misdemeanour proceedings against Manojlović and Jovanović; according to the movement, it accuses them of hitting police officers, grabbing their shields and swearing at them. The movement calls this untrue.

The trial ended on 13 March 2026, and the defence asked for Vučić and Repac to be heard. Manojlović says the police request was falsified and has announced criminal complaints against those responsible; no complaints filed have been made public.

Participants

Belgrade City Police Department: On 20 November 2024, the directorate's Police Brigade knocked Manojlović to the concrete, handcuffed him and carried him off the bridge (responsible)
Radoslav Repac: According to Kreni-Promeni, he was in direct communication with Vučić when the order was given to beat and arrest Manojlović (responsible)
Aleksandar Vučić: According to Manojlović, the orders to mistreat him and the councillor on the bridge went through Vučić and his office (responsible)
Ivica Dačić: Said the police reacted because Manojlović tried to break through the cordon on the bridge (commented on the case)
Savo Manojlović: Police knocked him down, tied him up and carried him off the bridge; he says he was injured, and misdemeanour proceedings are under way against him (harmed)
Aleksandar Jovanović: Handcuffed and detained on the bridge together with Manojlović; the police are seeking a penalty for him too in misdemeanour proceedings (harmed)
University Clinical Centre of Serbia: Said diagnostic tests found no injuries on Manojlović; the movement says the discharge summary records injuries (commented on the case)