CoE
After visiting Belgrade as part of a delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on March 23 and 24 to assess Serbia's fulfillment of obligations to the CoE, co-rapporteurs Victoria Tiblom and Yunus Emre said in a press release on March 27 that the focus of the visit had been the deadly railway station overhang collapse in Novi Sad in 2024, the controversial "Mrdic Laws" and local elections.
"We acknowledge that the 2024 railway collapse tragedy in Novi Sad, which resulted in the deaths of 16 people and has had ongoing repercussions on political life and society in Serbia, continues to be a pertinent and controversial issue in the country," read the co-rapporteurs' statement, which also urges the authorities in Serbia to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the event and ensure that those responsible are held to account as soon as possible.
The statement also said that the co-rapporteurs "look forward to the forthcoming opinion of the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe's group of independent legal experts, on the controversial 'Mrdić laws' -- which amend the functioning of the judiciary and the prosecution service" and that they welcomed the Serbian authorities' announcements that they would cooperate with the Commission.
Other subjects covered in the course of the CoE delegation's visit were the protests of 2024 and 2025 and the reported use of a sonic weapon during mass demonstrations in Belgrade on March 15, 2025, causing mental and bodily suffering for many protesters, the statement added. The statement noted that the co-rapporteurs were "very grateful to the authorities for being willing to engage in open dialogue on sensitive issues relating to democracy, the rule of law and the protection of human rights in Serbia."
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