Serbian court excludes secret surveillance evidence in student trial

The trial of nine students, including first defendant Luka Stevanović, accused of preparing acts against Serbia's constitutional order after last year's Vidovdan protest, has been postponed. The delay came after the court decided to exclude evidence gathered through secret surveillance measures, deeming it inadmissible.

Stevanović expressed relief following the postponement, stating, "I must honestly admit that a great weight has been lifted from my heart, not because any of us are guilty, none of us are guilty, but I consider this a great burden that we are all carrying." He anticipates that the prosecution will likely appeal the decision to exclude the evidence, but believes the Appellate Court will uphold the lower court's ruling.

Ljiljana Borović, a lawyer for one of the students, described the students as "mobile listening devices." She explained that orders for surveillance involved installing software on their mobile phones to conduct ambient listening, not just phone conversations. Borović argued that this violated university autonomy, as every word spoken on campus was recorded since the secret surveillance began in January 2025. She maintained that even if this evidence were used, it would not prove the students committed the crimes they are accused of.

The second hearing was held at the Palace of Justice. The trial, which officially began on May 15, has been postponed multiple times. Boško Žurić, another defense lawyer, called the court's decision to exclude the evidence "completely logical" and essentially a first-instance verdict. He believes that even if the proceedings were to continue, they should result in an acquittal, given that the excluded evidence was the primary, and perhaps only, proof the prosecution possessed.