Serbia arrests police chief over abuse of office allegations
Serbian authorities have arrested Marko Kricak, head of the country's criminal police directorate, on suspicion of abuse of office, while denying any links to recent elections.
Belgrade's chief prosecutor confirmed the arrests of Kricak and Bosko Sekulovic, who was in charge of fighting organized crime. They are suspected of abusing their offices and failing to uphold their duties, causing prejudice to Milic, who was arrested in May for failing to report a murder in a Belgrade restaurant.
Political Context
Kricak is viewed as a loyalist to Vucic, whose ruling right-wing party lost power after student demonstrations. Student groups had accused Kricak of brutality during protests and demanded his removal along with other police and intelligence chiefs as part of sweeping reforms.
Novi Sad Anniversary
The arrests come as Serbia marks two years since the Novi Sad railway station disaster, where a concrete canopy collapsed, killing 16 people. Thousands gathered in Novi Sad on Sunday, observing 16 minutes of silence and carrying wreaths.
Dijana Hrka, whose son Stefan was killed, told AFP: It's hard to go back to the place where it all happened. I believe justice will be served. Students emphasized that tragedy was insufficient to describe the event, stating: Behind that word, one can cleverly conceal the word we are all looking for: responsibility. The collapse triggered Serbia's biggest protests since 2000.
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