More than a month after the collapse of the awning of a train station in Novi Sad which killed 15 people, demonstrators demanded justice in front of the prosecutor’s office in Belgrade. Leitmotif of the student processions: put an end to corruption and the impunity of political leaders.
Serbian students gathered in front of the Attorney General’s office on Wednesday to demand justice after 15 people died in a railway station roof collapse.
More than a thousand demonstrators symbolically left letters at the entrance to the Prosecutor’s Office, calling on Zagorka Dolovac, Prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia, to “fight for law and justice, without abuse of power or corruption“.
Ms Dolovac’s office then responded with a statement inviting a student delegation to a meeting.
Serbian universities have been blocked for weeks as part of a broader movement demanding accountability after the November 1 tragedy in Novi Sad, capital of the Vojvodina region, when a huge concrete canopy at the train station collapsed. is crushed on the people below.
In Serbia, many blame the accident on widespread corruption and shoddy work in the renovation of the building, one of several mega infrastructure projects involving Chinese state-owned companies that are now being put back into operation. question.
Thirteen people were arrested following the Novi Sad tragedy, including a government minister whose release later fueled public skepticism about the sincerity of the investigation.
In Serbia, striking students received widespread support from their teachers, farmers and representatives of the intelligentsia. Tens of thousands of people joined a student-led protest in Belgrade on Sunday, which also reflected broader discontent with populist President Aleksandar Vučić.
On Wednesday, protesting students carried banners with red handprints – a symbol of protest telling authorities that they have “blood on your hands“.
In an attempt to defuse student protests, the head of state has advertised what he describes as “home loans.”advantageous” for young people so that they can buy apartments.
The Serbian leader has been accused of restricting democratic freedoms as he formally seeks to bring the Western Balkan nation into the European Union, while maintaining close ties with Russia and China.
Additional sources •AP
