Dacic: Inquiry Committee Not Suspended But Lacks Majority

Ivica Dacic, Belgrade, July 17 2023 (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC)

The Inquiry Committee of the National Assembly of Serbia established to investigate who is responsible for the two mass shootings that shook Serbia in May, has not been suspended, said Ivica Dacic, the head of the Socialist Party of Serbia and the minister of foreign affairs, on July 26. He explained that, instead, the committee did not have a quorum because the MPs of the Socialist party and the Serbian Progressive Party decided not to participate in its work.

“The parents are interested in the trial. We reached a point where the parents are asking for protection from the inquiry committee. As soon as we heard that, we sent a dispatch saying we won’t participate in the dealings of the committee, and the Progressive party has done the same. This means that there is no majority and that [the Inquiry Committee] can’t operate,” Dacic told the Pink TV.

Commenting on the opposition protests and the student performance from July 25, Dacic said the situation has reached “the absurdity level and not even [the protesters] know what else to do to try and keep up the interest of people in the protest over the summer.” The students set up deck chairs, parasols and a children’s pool in front of the National Assembly building, their slogan being “Student Summer 2023.”

According to Dacic, the pro-European part of the opposition, which has been organizing and leading, in his words, the Serbia Against Violence protests, is not concerned about the tragedies that occurred, but rather how the tragedies could be used for political advancement.