Protest in Belgrade After Death of 14 People in Novi Sad Railway Station Canopy Collapse

BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOv

Parliamentary opposition parties on Nov. 11 held a protest in front of the Serbian government headquarters demanding accountability for the deaths of 14 people in the Nov. 1 collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station.

The opposition is demanding that Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and Novi Sad Mayor Milan Djuric resign, and that all secret contracts relating to the reconstruction of the station be made public. They also want the immediate arrests of all responsible parties for what they described as the murder of 14 people, and demand that all innocent and illegally detained protesters be released. The opposition parties are also seeking an extraordinary inspection of all infrastructure projects done or begun in the last decade.

Calling the protest in Belgrade met with criticism from some Novi Sad political parties arguing that the demonstrations should be held in the city where the accident occurred. While the authorities claim that the canopy was not included in the reconstruction, the opposition and public have released photographs and videos showing that work was done on the canopy, and have also been speculating on various circumstances that could have caused the collapse.

The Novi Sad prosecutor's office has launched an investigation, stating that at least 53 people had been questioned. Only Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Goran Vesic has resigned so far. Top state officials, including Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, have said that Vesic's resignation would not be the only one, and that they are seeking political and criminal accountability for the accident.