Dijana Hrka, the mother of one of the 16 victims who died in the canopy collapse at the railway station in Novi Sad, publicly urged prosecutors to take action, calling on authorities to arrest those responsible for the tragedy that shocked Serbia in November 2024.
Speaking in front of the building of the Tužilaštvo za organizovani kriminal in Belgrade, where participants of the protest “Marš za pravosuđe” gathered, Hrka delivered an emotional appeal to officials standing on the steps of the institution.
“Arrest them,” she told prosecutors, demanding concrete steps in the investigation into the deadly incident that claimed 16 lives, including her son Stefan Hrka.
During the protest, Hrka knelt in front of the courthouse and prosecution building, asking what needs to happen for the system to begin functioning properly. While acknowledging that it was positive that people had come out to protest, she stressed that institutions must do their job and ensure accountability.
“If you do not do your job, I will take justice into my own hands,” she said, expressing frustration that, according to her, no one has yet been arrested over the canopy collapse, while young people are being detained in other cases.
The emotional moment became one of the most powerful scenes during the demonstration organized by judicial employees, lawyers, and citizens who gathered in Belgrade to protest recently adopted judicial laws and to call for greater independence of the judiciary.
The canopy collapse at the railway station in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024, remains one of the most tragic infrastructure disasters in Serbia in recent years, and the public continues to demand answers and accountability from authorities.
