By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Vladimir Stimac was arrested in Belgrade after protests and has since been released and detained again. He allegedly urged participants to attack another gathering and the police.
Following clashes between supporters of the government and its opponents in front of the Serbian parliament, the police arrested protesters for disturbing public order and causing incidents during an unregistered public gathering, as described by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia. A total of 37 people were handcuffed on Sunday, including Stimac.
Specifically, the former player was detained overnight and discharged on Monday. Following up on the initial reaction to the reasons behind the arrest, his lawyer is also filing an appeal on the decision to delay the release until the next morning.
However, following an order from the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade, he was taken to a police station, where—under the Criminal Procedure Code—he was issued a new 48-hour detention order.
The suspect will be brought before the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade within the legally prescribed time frame for questioning, after which a decision will be made on the further course of the proceedings.
Anti-government protests have been held over recent months, since the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse last November, killing 16 people. The cause of the collapse is still under investigation.
In his professional playing career, stretching from 2004 to 2023, Stimac won a silver medal in the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games, in the FIBA World Cup 2014, and EuroBasket 2017. His first appearance in a major FIBA tournament was in EuroBasket 2013.
His successful run at the club level was highlighted by featuring in 111 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games with Crvena Zvezda mts / Telekom, Fenerbahce Beko, Anadolu Efes, FC Bayern Munich, Unicaja Malaga, and Zalgiris. He also displayed his talents in more continental competitions, the Basketball Champions League, 7DAYS EuroCup, and EuroChallenge.