Dijana Hrka, the mother of a young man who tragically died in the collapse of a Novi Sad shelter, is in increasingly critical condition after 11 days on a hunger strike outside the National Assembly of Serbia.
Two emergency medical teams arrived today to provide assistance. The first team was turned away after confusion over who had called them, while the second was summoned by war veterans supporting Hrka. Witnesses report that the veteran group allowed medics to help her after she began showing signs of severe exhaustion and weakness.
Supporters gathered near her tent could be heard chanting “Dijana! Dijana!” and applauding in solidarity, visibly worried for her wellbeing.
Hrka began her hunger strike on November 2, demanding accountability for the Novi Sad tragedy that killed her son, Stefan, and 15 other innocent people. She insists that all responsible officials must be prosecuted, not just the 13 originally indicted.
“Institutions still aren’t doing their job. They just keep passing the blame between the prosecution and the president,” Hrka told FoNet on Tuesday, vowing not to give up.
Throughout the day, students, veterans, and university professors gathered in front of the Assembly to show their support. Professors from the University of Arts addressed the crowd through a megaphone, calling Hrka “a brave and great woman” and warning, “We support your fight, but we need you alive.”
Members of FASPER (Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation) also joined the protest, marching along Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra while carrying their faculty flag. The police have blocked traffic around the National Assembly, where hundreds of citizens have assembled to support Hrka.
Later in the afternoon, a moment of silence lasting 16 minutes was held, followed by the smell of incense spreading through the air as citizens prepared to light candles for Hrka’s recovery at 8 p.m.
Despite growing concerns for her health, Hrka remains determined. “I’ve been hungry more often than full; I can endure longer than people think,” she said, adding that she will not stop until her demands are met — including the release of detained students and the calling of early parliamentary elections by President Aleksandar Vučić.
