Gun Violence: Serbia: Committee of Inquiry into Massacres Suspended

The investigative committee of the Serbian parliament, which was only formed on Tuesday to investigate two killing sprees at the beginning of May, has suspended its activities. The panel responded to a petition from the families of victims of the Belgrade school massacre. They had demanded that the committee not anticipate the investigations of the judiciary, reported the state television RTS.

On May 3, a 13-year-old shot dead nine classmates and a security guard in a Belgrade school. A day later, a 21-year-old shot people in Mladenovac near Belgrade, killing eight of them. The two massacres, which are believed to be unrelated, had deeply shaken Serbian society.

Concerned about the course of the investigation

In their petition, the families of the victims expressed the fear that the activities of the parliamentary committee could jeopardize the prosecutor’s investigation and the subsequent court proceedings. The Board agreed with this view and temporarily suspended its activities.

In both cases, the public prosecutor’s office is still investigating, no charges have been filed and court dates have not been scheduled. In the case of the 13-year-old, according to Serbian law, he was not yet of criminal responsibility at the time of the crime. He is currently being observed in a psychiatric institution. The investigations of the public prosecutor’s office are directed against the father, who may have violated his supervisory duties. As the judicial authorities confirmed, he had practiced shooting at a shooting range with his son several times.