A defiant mother seeks justice for Serbian train station collapse that killed her son and 15 others

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Dijana Hrka’s world fell apart on Nov. 1 last year, when tons of concrete crushed her son to death at a train station in Serbia. The partial building collapse killed 16 people and has sparked countrywide anti-government protests.

The 47-year-old Hrka has become the rare family member of those killed to speak out. She has appeared at protests to the applause of thousands of mostly young people who accuse autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic ‘s government of corruption in construction and other matters.

She will join tens of thousands of protesters again on Saturday for the anniversary of the canopy collapse in Serbia’s northern city of Novi Sad. Their movement has rattled Vucic’s firm rule. Authorities have failed to curb the discontent.

Hrka seeks accountability for her son and the others killed, but also for the scores of people who have been detained or lost their jobs in a government crackdown on the protests.

Authorities “have been arresting innocent children … but no one has been held responsible for the deaths of 16 people under the canopy,” a tearful Hrka told The Associated Press.

“I would like them to come and look me in the eyes,” she said. “I would ask them: Where is justice?”

Her son, 27-year-old Stefan, had come to the railway station to pick up someone, she recalled. It was a sunny day, so he apparently decided to wait outside. He and 15 others, including children, stood no chance when the station’s canopy collapsed and buried them. Another woman survived with severe injuries.

“It will forever be the worst day of my life,” Hrka said.

The anniversary protest on Nov. 1 aims to pile further pressure on Vucic, who has refused to call an early parliamentary election that protesters have demanded.

They also want those responsible for the accident to be punished. A judicial inquiry is meant to find out how the collapse occurred.

Prosecutors have charged 13 people in the collapse, mostly engineers and some government officials. But a trial date has not been set, and many Serbians doubt that the proceedings will fully uncover the alleged corruption they believe is behind the disregard for safety and construction rules.

Though Saturday’s event is meant to remember the dead, violent incidents are possible after police used tear gas and charged at protesters at several previous rallies. Vucic’s right-wing Serbian Progressive Party has organized counter-rallies.

A shooting last week that injured one person at a tent camp hosting Vucic’s supporters in Belgrade fueled fears of violence. Vucic has described the shooting as a politically motivated “act of terrorism.” One man has been arrested.

Vucic, without offering evidence, also has called protesters “terrorists” working against Serbia under orders from the West. Pro-government media and officials routinely accuse protesters of inciting violence, though most rallies have been peaceful.

University students, meanwhile, have been trekking or cycling across the country to converge in Novi Sad on Saturday. People have come out to greet them along the way.

Hrka said she brushes off the threats she has faced on the street and on social media for backing the students.

“Once you lose what is dearest to your heart, you lose fear,” she said. She credited young people for keeping her going through the worst period of her life.

“I feel better every time I see that beauty and youth, I even smile with them,” Hrka said. “I hope my Stefan is proud of me and of what I am doing.”