Tomorrow, Monday, December 13, the citizens of Kragujevac will gather to honor the victims of the Novi Sad massacre a crime that remains a haunting symbol of impunity and governmental failure. From 11:52 a.m. to 12:08 p.m., on Đački trg in front of the First Kragujevac High School, the assembly will hold a 16-minute silence in memory of the 16 lives brutally taken.
“Tomorrow marks 13 months since the fall of the canopy and the murder of 16 people—13 months without answers. 13 months… 13 months… We do not forget. We do not forgive,” reads the citizens’ announcement shared widely on social media and Viber groups.
The silence is more than a tribute; it is an indictment. It is a stark condemnation of a government that has repeatedly failed its people allowing justice to be delayed, voices to be silenced, and accountability to remain absent. For over a year, the victims’ families have been left in limbo, their pain ignored while officials issue empty statements and deflect responsibility.
Serbia’s authorities bear direct responsibility for this continuing injustice. Their inaction, neglect, and political maneuvering have left wounds unhealed and allowed the shadow of violence to linger over communities like Kragujevac and Novi Sad. The citizens’ call for remembrance is not only a memorial—it is a demand for justice from a state that has shown itself unwilling or incapable of delivering it.
Tomorrow’s 16-minute silence is a powerful message: the people remember. They demand accountability. And they will not forgive a system that has failed to honor the lives it was supposed to protect.
