The Savamala case: demolition in Hercegovačka Street

Category: Money and deals

Period: from 24 Apr 2016

Outcome: Under investigation (as of 23 Apr 2026)

On the night after the 2016 parliamentary elections, masked men used heavy machinery to demolish buildings in Hercegovačka Street in Savamala, on land earmarked for the “Belgrade Waterfront” project, and held the people they found there for hours. Slobodan Tanasković, a security guard who was tied up, died a month later. The police did not respond to citizens' calls, and duty operators referred them to the Communal Police, citing orders “from the top of the police”. The only person convicted is the duty service shift chief Goran Stamenković, and according to the prosecution the perpetrators had still not been identified as of 2026.

Demolition in Hercegovačka Street

On the night of 24 to 25 April 2016, after the parliamentary elections, a group of masked men used heavy machinery to demolish buildings in Hercegovačka Street in Savamala, on land earmarked for the “Belgrade Waterfront” project. For hours they held the people they found at the scene, among them musician Miloš Đorđević, Toplica trans security guard Slađan Milošević and Iskra security guard Slobodan Tanasković, whom they tied up.

Tanasković died a month later at the Military Medical Academy; the cause of death has not been made public.

Police did not respond

Throughout the night, citizens called the police, who did not respond; duty operators referred them to the Communal Police, citing orders “from the top of the police”.

The Ombudsman found that the Belgrade City Police Department had acted unlawfully.

The only conviction

The only person convicted is Goran Stamenković, shift chief of the Belgrade police duty service, who in 2018 entered a plea agreement for negligence in office and later stated publicly that he had been forced to do so.

Perpetrators unknown, the state held liable

According to an April 2026 statement by the First Basic Public Prosecutor's Office, the perpetrators have not been identified, the offence has not been legally classified, and the prosecution cannot say when the statute of limitations will expire.

In civil proceedings, the courts established the grounds for the liability of the Republic of Serbia (Interior Ministry) for damages, and the cases are before the Supreme Court. The European Court of Human Rights found that Serbia had violated the right of the company Iskra to the peaceful enjoyment of its property in Hercegovačka Street and awarded it compensation.

Ristić's interview and arrest

In an October 2026 interview with Srbin.info, former head of the Belgrade Communal Police Nikola Ristić named Siniša Mali as the organiser of the demolition.

According to a statement by the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office, he was arrested on 23 October, the day before the interview was published, on suspicion of having handed, for personal gain, an Interior Ministry document on the demolition marked “INTERNAL” to a person mentioned in it. Ristić denies this, and the prosecution denies that the arrest has anything to do with the interview and will not say whether it has checked his claims.

Participants

Aleksandar Vučić: By his own 2023 statement, he made the decision to demolish; according to Ristić, his office gave the green light (responsible)
Nikola Ristić: As former Communal Police chief, he claims Siniša Mali organised the demolition; he was arrested on suspicion of handing over an internal Interior Ministry document (oversight and the public)
Veselin Milić: According to Stamenković, as Belgrade police chief he ordered that citizens' calls about the demolition be redirected to the inspectorate and the communal police (responsible)
Siniša Mali: According to his ex-wife and the former Communal Police chief, as mayor he organised the night-time demolition in Hercegovačka Street (responsible)
Nebojša Stefanović: According to Nikola Ristić, who says Veselin Milić told him so, he was involved in the demolition plan as police minister (responsible)
Saša Janković: He found that the Belgrade police had acted unlawfully and recommended that the Interior Ministry identify the masked men and the organisers (oversight and the public)
Rodoljub Šabić: He fined the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office 800,000 dinars for refusing four times to give a citizen information about the case (oversight and the public)
Goran Stamenković: As head of the duty service that night, he was convicted of negligence in office under a plea agreement; according to BIRN's sources, the legalisation of his building was his reward in return (responsible)
Dijana Hrkalović: According to Stamenković's testimony, she threatened him while the most senior police officials were forcing him to plead guilty (responsible)
Milorad Grčić: As director of EPS, he allegedly corresponded with Dijana Hrkalović about power connections for Stamenković's buildings; the correspondence was submitted by the defence (commented on the case)
Nikola Selaković: He denied the claims of pressure on Stamenković and called them an attack on Vučić; he did not answer BIRN's questions (commented on the case)
Nenad Stefanović: He said the "Savamala" case was resolved through the plea agreement with Stamenković and that Belivuk was not covered by the Interior Ministry's criminal complaint (investigation and courts)
Veljko Belivuk: According to his own testimony in the murder trial, he, Zvonko Veselinović and "Sale" sent people to carry out the demolition in Savamala (responsible)
Zvonko Veselinović: According to Belivuk's testimony, he, Belivuk and "Sale" sent people to carry out the demolition in Savamala; he has not commented on these claims (responsible)
Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia: During the demolition, police duty officers referred callers to the Municipal Police, and the courts established grounds for the Interior Ministry's liability for the damage (responsible)
Belgrade City Police Department: According to the Ombudsman, it acted unlawfully: its duty officers referred callers to the Communal Police on an order "from the top of the police" (responsible)
Internal Control Sector of the Interior Ministry (MUP): According to the Ombudsman, it failed to fulfil its role, and it neither completed nor published its internal investigation into the demolition (responsible)
City of Belgrade / City Administration: According to the Ombudsman, it applied the law selectively and overstepped its powers after the demolition, and did not act on his recommendation (responsible)
Belgrade Communal Police: Police duty operators referred people who called about the demolition that night to this service (commented on the case)
Protector of Citizens (Ombudsman): Found that the Belgrade police acted unlawfully and that the city administration applied the law selectively during the clean-up after the demolition (oversight and the public)
Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection: He fined the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office 800,000 dinars for refusing four times to give a citizen information about the case (oversight and the public)
Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, Special Department for Combating Corruption: It failed four times to comply with the commissioner's rulings and did not give a citizen information about the case, and was fined 800,000 dinars (responsible)
First Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade: Took over the case in 2017 and asked the police to identify the perpetrators; in 2026 it said they still had not been identified (investigation and courts)
Higher Court in Belgrade: Convicted Stamenković under a plea agreement and gave him a suspended sentence; twice awarded Stefanović damages from NIN, which the appeals court overturned (investigation and courts)
First Basic Court in Belgrade: It acquitted Stamenković of building a second structure in Mirijevo without a permit (investigation and courts)
Commercial Appellate Court: It ordered the Interior Ministry to pay Transport peroni compensation for the damage caused by the demolition (investigation and courts)
Supreme Court: It is hearing the state's appeal on points of law in the lawsuits brought by Transport peroni and Iskra over damage from the demolition (investigation and courts)
European Court of Human Rights: It found that Serbia violated Iskra's property rights in Hercegovačka Street by tearing down its fence and seizing its land in 2015. (investigation and courts)
Belgrade Waterfront d.o.o.: According to Insajder's analysis, the project contract required the plot in Hercegovačka Street to be cleared by 30 June 2016, and the demolished area is part of the project (responsible)
Millennium Team d.o.o.: According to Ristić, its machinery and workers carried out the demolition in Hercegovačka Street with its co-owner present; the company denies this (responsible)
Iskra d.o.o.: Injured company; plaintiff in the civil suit and applicant to the European Court of Human Rights (harmed)
Transport peroni d.o.o.: Injured company; plaintiff in the civil suit (harmed)
Don't Let Belgrade D(r)own: It organised protests against the demolition at which thousands of people demanded the resignations of those responsible (oversight and the public)
NIN: It published an article that, citing the Ombudsman's findings, presented Minister Stefanović as the main person responsible for the affair (oversight and the public)
KRIK: It published an interview in which Stamenković says he was forced to confess, along with the police report on the night of the demolition and a statement by Marija Mali (oversight and the public)
BIRN: It published claims by police sources that Stamenković's legalisation was a quid pro quo for taking the blame (oversight and the public)
Insajder: It published an analysis of the contract showing that the “Belgrade Waterfront” project required the plot in Hercegovačka Street to be cleared (oversight and the public)
Green-Left Front: It called on prosecutors to urgently question Siniša Mali and Veselin Milić, citing Ristić's claims (oversight and the public)
Student List – Students Are Winning: It asked prosecutors to reopen investigations into several cases, including the demolition in Savamala (oversight and the public)
Radoslav Repac: According to claims by the Kreni-promeni movement, he was responsible for making sure the police did not respond while masked men demolished buildings (responsible)