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Tragedy in Novi Sad/ Thousands of people protest in Belgrade

2024-12-22 20:34:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Students, who have blocked the faculties at the University of Belgrade for weeks, protested in Belgrade on Sunday to demand accountability for the collapse of the shelter at the train station in Novi Sad, where 15 people lost their lives.

Streets near Slavija Square in central Belgrade were closed to vehicular traffic as thousands of people gathered to protest, filling the square and its surrounding areas. Farmers, actors and teachers also joined the students' protest.

The demonstration began in the afternoon with 15 minutes of silence for the victims of the shelter collapse last month, where 15 people lost their lives and two others were seriously injured. Many of the participants turned on the lights of their mobile phones and held them up.

Organizers called on the government to find and prosecute those suspects who attacked demonstrators during the protests that swept through Serbia in the days after the shelter was demolished.

Organizers also demanded the release of activists detained during previous protests and the annulment of legal proceedings against them.

Serbs have regularly protested the accident in Novi Sad to demand accountability.

Some of the protests turned violent, but no violence was reported during the December 22 demonstration in Belgrade.

The collapse of the shelter has become a political charge for President Aleksandar Vu?i?, as more than 50 academic faculties at four state universities, the offices of several university rectors and dozens of high schools have been blocked in solidarity with the protests.

Students have also participated in daily protests, blocking traffic for 15 minutes in various cities in Serbia.

The accident occurred after the train station had been renovated twice in recent years by a Chinese-led consortium of four companies. Serbian Railways insists that the renovation did not include the concrete shelter, but some experts dispute this.

The High Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad announced on November 21 that 11 people were arrested after being found responsible for the collapse.

Among them were the former Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Goran Vesi?, and the former Director of Railway Infrastructure, Jelena Tanaskovi?.

They risk up to 12 years in prison if found guilty of the charges of committing criminal offenses against public safety, endangering the public and illegal construction works./REL