Marko Kricak Detained as Serbia Marks Novi Sad Anniversary

Marko Kricak, the 42-year-old head of Serbia’s criminal police directorate, was taken into custody on Sunday alongside Bosko Sekulovic, the commander responsible for organized crime operations. Prosecutor Nenad Stefanovic announced the arrests, citing suspicions that the two men abused their positions and neglected their duties. According to Stefanovic, their actions caused prejudice and serious harm to Veselin Milic, the former police chief of Belgrade.

The legal proceedings stem from an investigation into the May murder of a suspected criminal figure at a restaurant in Belgrade. Milic had been detained days after that shooting for failing to report the incident and aiding the perpetrator. While in custody, Milic initiated legal action against Kricak and Sekulovic, alleging that they provided prosecutors with incomplete and false evidence. Kricak is viewed as a loyalist to former President Aleksandar Vucic, whose ruling party lost power after years of public unrest.

Student groups had previously accused Kricak of brutality during the police response to demonstrations that helped end the Serbian Progressive Party’s 14-year rule. Last week, these groups demanded his removal along with several other intelligence and police leaders as part of a broader push for reform. The prosecutor’s office maintained that the arrest was unrelated to the recent legislative elections. Stefanovic stated to journalists that the detention had no link to the outcome of the snap elections held on October 25, where the Student List achieved a historic victory.

The arrests occurred on the two-year anniversary of the Novi Sad railway station disaster. Thousands of people gathered in the rain to honor the 16 individuals killed when a concrete canopy collapsed at the newly renovated station. The crowd observed 16 minutes of silence as students marched with wreaths to the site of the collapse. Dijana Hrka, whose 27-year-old son Stefan died in the incident, told AFP that it remains difficult to return to the location. She expressed her belief that justice will eventually be served.

Student representatives issued a statement arguing that the term tragedy is insufficient to describe the event. They noted that tragedy implies an accident, whereas the word responsibility better captures the cause of the collapse. The disaster triggered the largest protests in Serbia since the fall of former President Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned in January 2025, and Vucic stepped down as president in September to lead his party’s list. Vucic also pardoned students and activists who had been prosecuted during the protest period.