Dijana Hrka, mother of Stefan one of 16 victims killed when a concrete canopy collapsed at Novi Sad railway station a year ago, is now on her seventh day of a hunger strike outside the National Assembly. Her demand is simple: truth and justice. Yet instead of responding to her plea, President Aleksandar Vučić and his government continue to ignore her, leaving her health teetering on the edge of irreversible damage.
Medical experts are clear: serious harm can appear within just 72 hours of a hunger strike. Dr. Milan Višnjić, former dean of the Faculty of Medicine in Niš, warns, “She risks permanent organ damage, metabolic collapse, and severe psychological trauma. The government’s inaction puts her life in direct danger.”
Immunologist Dr. Borislav Kamenov adds, “Prolonged starvation weakens immunity, shuts down organs, and disrupts brain function. Combined with psychological abuse—mocking music, public ridicule from authorities—the threat to her life intensifies dramatically.”
Psychologist Velibor Petković calls the situation a deliberate test of endurance: “Dijana’s courage is met with cruelty. The government’s indifference and harassment are transforming her grief into a spectacle of suffering. This is not negligence—it is a moral failure by Vučić and his administration.”
This hunger strike is not just a personal protest—it is a damning indictment of the state. By failing to hold those responsible for the Novi Sad tragedy accountable, allowing hostile conditions around her, and turning a blind eye to her suffering, the Serbian government is effectively endangering her life.
International medical guidelines confirm the stakes: without intervention, prolonged fasting can rapidly escalate to life-threatening organ failure, particularly if fluids are withheld. Hrka’s protest exposes the government’s callousness—a recklessness that risks turning a mother’s moral stand into a deadly consequence.
Petković concludes bluntly: “No mother should have to risk her life for justice. Dijana Hrka’s strike is a cry for truth, and the responsibility for her safety rests squarely with Vučić and the Serbian government. Their failure is not just bureaucratic—it is potentially lethal.”
