After nine months, the Slovenian Ministry of Internal Affairs admitted that he was responsible for the death Armin Đutović (37), the son of a Montenegrin citizen, the police are responsible. The Police Directorate determined that Đutović died on December 8 last year due to “disproportionate and unprofessionally applied strangulation.”
Đutović was arrested on December 8, 2024, in Čopova Street, in the center of Ljubljana. According to information available in the media, as there was no official statement, Armin allegedly hit a tourist, he told "Vijesti" at the time. Adel Đutović, brother of the late Armin.
He points out that during the police action, Armin lost consciousness.
"The police later claimed that there was a cardiac arrest. However, the medical records clearly showed that Armin suffered severe hypoxic brain damage - a condition that occurs solely due to a lack of oxygen. In other words: Armin did not die of cardiac arrest, he was dying because he could not breathe," says Adel Đutović.
After more than 10 minutes without oxygen, when the consequences were already catastrophic, Adel adds, Armin was transferred to the hospital, where he died three days later.
"No one informed the family. The police and the hospital were silent. After six hours of concern and unsuccessful phone calls, we went looking for him. Only then did we discover for ourselves that he was in a coma," explains Adel Đutović.
The family then insisted all along that all the circumstances of Armin's death be clarified, but there was almost no official information.
Suco Djutovic, Armin's father, a Montenegrin citizen originally from Plav, was convinced that the truth about his son's death was being hidden, repeating that "the family is looking for answers, looking for the truth - not revenge."
The Special State Prosecutor's Office of Slovenia (SDTS) told the family that this case is in the pre-trial phase and that they are therefore unable to provide more information.
Doubts were also fueled by the SDTS' claim that they only received the autopsy results on April 9, 2025, and that the findings were "insufficiently clear."
The Đutović family believed that the SDTS was trying to conceal the fact that the autopsy and additional expert examination had been completed, and that the Institute of Forensic Medicine had submitted the autopsy findings and the first expert opinion on March 28, 2025.
They emphasize that the supplement to the expert report was completed and submitted on April 14, 2025, so that the SDTS had both documents in its possession no later than April 17, 2025, and the video recordings of the event were seized immediately.
The family claimed that the institutions acknowledged that there were four video recordings covering the entire course of events and that these recordings had been in the possession of the prosecution since December 2024, and the family had not been given any access to them.
The brother of the late Armin Đutović emphasizes that the SDTS sent the family a written response stating that, according to their interpretation, they will not be informed about the progress of the investigation.
After nine months of silence on the requests of the Đutović family, the Police Directorate determined that the assessment of the legality and professionalism of the police procedure clarified the facts and circumstances, but also revealed irregularities in the work of police officers.
"It was established that the police officers used a strangulation procedure against Armin Đutović disproportionately and unprofessionally, that the internal police commission assessed the legality and professionalism of its use objectively; the police officers failed to immediately provide first aid; the illegal, unprofessional and disproportionate use of physical force against the tied-up Armin Đutović was established," the Directorate states, adding that the police officers also illegally entered and searched his hotel room the next day.
"We are aware that these facts cannot mitigate your loss. However, we believe that they represent a key step towards creating changes that will help prevent similar tragedies in the future. This event obliges us as an institution to act even more responsibly and with greater sensitivity towards human life and dignity," the Police Directorate's letter to the Đutović family states.
It was established that the police officers used a strangulation procedure on Armin Đutović disproportionately and unprofessionally, that the internal police commission had objectively assessed the legality and professionalism of its use; the police officers failed to immediately provide first aid; the unlawful, unprofessional and disproportionate use of physical force was established
The Police Directorate also announced that, in accordance with the provisions of the Regulation on the Direction and Supervision of the Police, a comprehensive opinion on the findings will be prepared and submitted to the Minister of the Interior and the Acting Director General of the Police.
The Directorate will submit its opinion on the legality and competence of the tasks and powers of the police to the Special Department of the Specialized State Prosecutor's Office and the Human Rights Protector of the Republic of Slovenia.
The truth can no longer be suppressed.
Throughout this entire period, as a family, we prayed, warned, and sought answers, says Adel Đutović, brother of the murdered Armin.
"In return, we received silence, ignoring, contempt... The media, with rare exceptions, were silent. Institutions were silent, but today, the truth can no longer be silenced," Adel Đutović points out.
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