Prosecutor Bojana Savović has spoken out regarding the lack of accountability a year after the collapse of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad, which left multiple victims and sparked national outrage. She said she feels defeated both as a citizen and as a professional, given that no one has yet been brought to justice.
“All eyes were on the two prosecutors’ offices — in Belgrade and Novi Sad — and after two years, we still don’t have a confirmed indictment,” Savović said. “Today, supposedly, one of the most disputed indictments has been confirmed again, but I’m not sure it will hold up this time either.”
Savović pointed to systemic obstruction as the root cause of the stagnation, saying that the entire state apparatus is structured to ensure nothing happens.
“It’s not just the prosecution — it’s also the police. The whole system is designed to prevent justice. I regret that the Office for Organized Crime doesn’t more often inform the public about their work and the obstacles they face,” she added.
She recalled frequent dismissals of senior police officials who allowed officers to become part of violent groups, as well as shakeups within the tax police.
When asked if there are efforts within the judiciary to break free from a corrupt system, Savović replied that such attempts exist and that cracks in the system have begun to show.
“We’re seeing moments where judicial integrity and free prosecutorial conviction come to light — and in response, the authorities retaliate fiercely,” she said. “Judges and prosecutors are being publicly targeted in tabloids; if they refuse to order detention, they’re branded as traitors or terrorists. Personal data, even family details, are exposed. Yet despite all this, we see the judiciary gradually liberating itself — and that truly frightens those in power.”
She emphasized that strong individuals are fighting back, though many in top positions remain loyal to the regime. Still, she believes that “the cracks are widening.”
Regarding the parliamentary inquiry committee’s finding that the canopy collapse was the work of an organized criminal group allegedly led by the president himself, Savović said that if such conclusions were reached without full access to official documentation, state authorities should have advanced the investigation and filed indictments long ago.
Savović described the tragedy as a sobering moment for the nation, one that exposed deep systemic decay but also reawakened civic consciousness.
“That was the red line — the moment when our society realized what it cannot and will not tolerate,” she said, adding that the movement for accountability “will not be silenced.”
She stressed that Serbia is not the same country it was a year ago, as citizens have begun organizing, connecting, and transforming.
“We’re seeing absurd arrests and fabricated charges, but society has awakened. People are gathering, not just students — everyone. That is our hope,” Savović concluded.
When asked about President Aleksandar Vučić’s recent calls for reconciliation and apologies to students and protesters, Savović warned against trusting him:
“You must never believe abusers — their true nature always resurfaces,” she said, adding that she was “counting the hours” until it happens again.
Savović, who wore a badge reading ‘Lawyers Want Justice’, smiled when asked what citizens want:
“Even more,” she replied.
