Aleksandar Vucic (BETAPHOTO/Milan Ilic)
On July 15, Odbrana Struke (In Defense of the Profession), an informal association of judges and prosecutors, accused Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic of “yet again” delving into matters beyond his purview by criticizing the court’s decision to confirm charges against former minister Goran Vesic and others in the case of the Nov. 1, 2024 Novi Sad Central Railway Station collapse.
After the Novi Sad Appeals Court overturned the decision to halt proceedings against Vesic and 12 other persons in the case of the canopy collapse – which claimed 16 lives and left the sole survivor with life-changing injuries – Vucic opined on July 14 that the ruling was made “out of pure arrogance and without any supporting arguments.”
According to the president, the sole goal of the court’s decision was to aid “the blockaders” – as the regime has dubbed anyone who organized and/or participated in the months-long, country-wide protest rallies – and to baselessly “destroy the lives of certain people.
In its response to the president’s claims, Odbrana Struke called Vucic’s reaction “inappropriate pressure on the judiciary.”
“Having individuals holding the highest positions in state administration publicly belittle court rulings and judges constitutes inappropriate pressure on the judiciary and is contrary to the principles of the separation of powers and rule of law,” the association stated.
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