People March in Belgrade and Novi Sad, Demanding Justice and Accountability for the Railway Station Tragedy 

BETAPHOTO/MILAN ILIC

Several thousand citizens joined marches in Belgrade and Novi Sad in the evening of Sept. 1, demanding yet again accountability and justice for 16 people who died when a concrete canopy collapsed at the Novi Sad Railway Station exactly 22 months ago. 

People at the rally in Belgrade, initiated by the protesting students, once again stressed that no one should enjoy protection because of their office or power they hold, stressing that “the passage of time will not serve as safeguards against accountability.” 

“We demand legal and transparent procedures, scrutiny of end-to-end accountability in a decision-making chain and from the institutions to do their job, regardless of who holds what position,” a student of the Belgrade Faculty of Education said.

In Novi Sad, students and citizens stressed that they will continue holding the 16 minutes of silence honoring the 16 victims “until justice has been served.” 

Earlier on Sept. 1, several opposition parties in the Novi Sad City Hall said that the aldermen Miran Pogacar and Misa Baculov, as well as dozens of activists and members of Novi Sad citizens’ groups, were called in for police questioning. 

“Collecting information from citizens must not become an instrument for pressuring and intimidating those with different views, who protest, organize themselves and speak publicly. The opposition in Novi Sad stands with the citizens. The Gestapo methods will not scare Novi Sad,” the local opposition parties said in a joint press release.