Serbia marks two years since Novi Sad collapse, detains ex-police chief
Thousands marched in Novi Sad for the 16 victims days after Vucic's party lost power, as prosecutors detained his former top police official.
What to know
- Two years after the Novi Sad station canopy collapse killed 16, thousands marched in Novi Sad in rain and silence to honor the victims.
- The commemoration came a week after the student-led Students' List defeated Aleksandar Vucic's SNS party in parliamentary elections.
- Prosecutors detained Vucic's chief of criminal police, Marko Kricak, over abuse-of-office allegations linked to violence against student protesters.
- Students are now demanding a review of the stalled canopy collapse probe, which had charged 13 people, including a government minister, without any trial.
“shook Serbia to its core and moved citizens across the country to demand transparency and accountability.”
Andreas von Beckerath, Head of the EU mission in Serbia · Philadelphia Inquirer (AP), via X ↗ · Oct 31
Aleksandar Vucic Former Serbian president/strongmanMarko Kricak Vucic's chief of criminal policeStudents' List Student-led political movementAndreas von Beckerath Head of the EU mission in Serbia
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesvideos
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Prosecutors detain Vucic's ex-police chief Marko Kricak
Prosecutors ordered a 48-hour detention of Marko Kricak, Vucic's chief of criminal police, and another senior officer on suspicion of abuse of office linked to a murder investigation; Kricak has been accused of orchestrating violence during the student protests and personally threatening a female student with rape, which he denies.
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EU envoy von Beckerath calls for rule of law in Serbia
The head of the EU mission in Serbia, Andreas von Beckerath, wrote on X that the canopy collapse "shook Serbia to its core" and called for a Serbia built on solidarity, trust and rule of law.
“May their memory keep inspiring a Serbia built on solidarity, public trust and rule of law…”
— Andreas von Beckerath -
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Thousands march in Novi Sad on second anniversary of collapse — In steady rain, thousands marched in silence to the station, laying 16 wreaths and 16 red hearts for the victims, lighting candles and holding a moment of silence; participants said they now have hope those responsible will be punished.
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Students' List defeats Vucic's SNS in parliamentary elections — Two years of student-led protests born from demands for accountability over the collapse culminated in the Students' List defeating Vucic's long-ruling Serbian Progressive Party in last Sunday's parliamentary elections.
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Concrete canopy collapses at Novi Sad station, killing 16 — A huge concrete construction at the outer front wall of the Novi Sad station crashed without warning, crushing people waiting for trains and killing 16 people; the disaster was widely blamed on corruption and flawed renovation work under Vucic's government.
Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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2 outlets Serbia marks the second anniversary of a train station tragedy that fueled student protests
first by AP News, 6d ago · also Philadelphia Inquirer