Analysis

Thousands march in memory of former Serbian PM

Thousands of Serbians marched peacefully through Belgrade to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the assassination of the country’s former liberal prime minister Zoran Đinđić.

The commemoration was staged by the organisers of the ‘One of Five Million’ protests which have gathered tens of thousand of protesters since December 2018. The protesters gathered in downtown Belgrade and then walked to the government building to place candles and flowers.

Demonstrations against Serbian President Aleksander Vučić, who is accused of widespread corruption and abusing democracy in the country, entered their 14th consecutive week on March 9.

Mr Đinđić was the co-founder of the Liberal Democratic Party, which played a key role in the political fight against Slobodan Milošević in 2000.

After becoming prime minister, he spearheaded the extradition of Mr Milošević to the Hague Tribunal where he faced charges of war crimes during the Yugoslav wars.

The former prime minister was assassinated by former members of a Special Operations Unit of the Interior Ministry with the assistance of a Serbian criminal gang on March 12, 2003.