The **Citizen Lab** recently confirmed that the phone of **University of Belgrade Rector Vladan Đokić** was infected with **Pegasus** spyware earlier this year. Đokić is a prominent supporter of a student protest movement advocating for the removal of former Serbian President **Aleksandar Vučić** from government. Vučić, who recently concluded his presidential term, is now campaigning for prime minister in the upcoming October 25 elections. He is widely anticipated to regain control of the country, a role he previously held from 2014-2017. ### Additional Targets and Apple Threat Notifications A second suspected victim's device, belonging to prosecutor **Rade Bajić**, is currently under analysis by the **Citizen Lab**. Bajić, who investigated alleged corruption involving a **Vučić** effort to sell a historic building to **Donald Trump**'s son-in-law **Jared Kushner**, received an **Apple** threat notification in August. Such notifications are generally regarded as highly reliable indicators of commercial spyware targeting. ### A Pattern of Surveillance The use of **NSO Group**'s **Pegasus** against critics of the Serbian regime is not new. In 2026, the **SHARE Foundation**, in collaboration with the **Citizen Lab** and **Amnesty International**, reported that at least 15 individuals have been targeted with advanced spyware. This ongoing pattern raises significant questions about **NSO Group**'s consistent claims that it avoids business with repressive governments that misuse its technology. Neither a spokesperson for **NSO Group** nor the Serbian embassy in Washington provided comments on the matter. ### Escalating Repression and Protests Student protests have been a fixture in Belgrade since November 2024, sparked by anti-corruption demonstrations. In recent months, other students and journalists have also been identified as spyware targets. **Adrijana Ristić**, a researcher at the **SHARE Foundation**, noted, "There's been increasing physical and digital repression... The targeting has been very broad, not just in the sense of spyware — there's confidential communications leaking… and attacks on journalists as well." She added, "The tensions are very high at this moment." ### Retaliation Against Opposition Figures **Đokić** is known for "refusing to facilitate a government-led crackdown on student protesters, which led to intense pressure from the Serbian authorities," according to the **Citizen Lab**. His offices were reportedly raided in late March, with computers and servers seized. **Bajić**, the prosecutor, played a crucial role in derailing a deal between **Vučić** and **Kushner** for a Belgrade **Trump Tower** project. He charged government officials after uncovering forged documents supporting the negotiations. The proposed **Trump Tower** was planned for a protected cultural heritage site. Despite his efforts, Bajić was removed from the case in November 2025 without explanation. In February, Bajić publicly condemned political repression. The following month, other prosecutors filed an indictment against the current Minister of Culture and three other senior government officials in connection with the failed **Trump Tower** deal. Bajić believes he has been targeted for at least a year, citing a November 2025 incident where **Vučić** personally referred to him on state-run television as a "criminal from the Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime." Bajić stated, "It is evident that all of this is being done because our Prosecutor’s Office is conducting criminal proceedings against representatives of the executive branch of government... My involvement in this case was the sole reason for this unlawful spyware attack."