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Belgrade Protesters Form Human Shield as Serbia Fast-Tracks Kushner-Linked Army HQ Redevelopment

A special law pushes forward the $500 million plan despite an ongoing probe into alleged forged documents used to lift the site’s protections.

Overview

  • Serbia’s parliament passed a fast-track measure on Friday to expedite permits for Affinity Global Development to redevelop the former Yugoslav army headquarters.
  • Thousands of mostly student-led demonstrators on Tuesday encircled the bombed-out complex, drew red lines on the pavement, and vowed to block demolition.
  • The Generalstab, damaged in NATO’s 1999 campaign, lost its cultural-heritage status in 2024 before a 99-year lease was signed with Kushner-linked developers.
  • Organized-crime prosecutors are investigating suspected falsification of records used to remove protections, a probe that led to a suspension in May.
  • The government argues the project will bolster the economy and U.S. ties amid tariffs and energy-related sanctions, while critics cite unconstitutionality claims, corruption concerns, and erasure of wartime memory; UAE-based Eagle Hills is a partner.