Prosecutors: student died from a fall, experts working
An autopsy with toxicology found that a student at Belgrade's Faculty of Philosophy died from injuries sustained in a fall from height. Camera, server and DNA analyses are under way.
- The Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor's Office issued an update on the preliminary investigation into a student's death at the Faculty of Philosophy.
- An autopsy with toxicology found that death resulted from injuries sustained in a fall from height, with no drugs or psychoactive substances present.
- On the prosecution's orders, analyses of servers and surveillance cameras, along with DNA testing, are under way.
- The inquiry is examining possible failures by responsible parties regarding the safety of students and staff.
The Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office issued an update on the preliminary investigation into the death of a student at the Faculty of Philosophy. The case dates to March 26, when a 25-year-old student (M. Z.) died inside the faculty building.
According to the prosecutors’ statement, an autopsy with toxicological analysis carried out by the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine found that death resulted from injuries sustained in a fall from height. The toxicology report found no drugs or other psychoactive substances.
Prosecutors say the incident traces back to the evening of March 26, around 10.40 p.m., when pyrotechnic devices caught fire on the fifth floor. The student then died in a fall from height, with prosecutors saying she jumped from a window. The exact sequence of events is still to be established by experts.
What else are prosecutors analysing in this case?
On the prosecution’s orders, several parallel expert analyses are under way. The servers and surveillance cameras of the Faculty of Philosophy and of the University of Belgrade’s Rectorate are being examined. DNA testing and other necessary analyses are also being conducted to clarify the circumstances of the death.
The surveillance footage carries particular weight in this inquiry. The pre-trial judge of the Special Department for the Suppression of Corruption at the Higher Court in Belgrade ordered a search of the servers holding the surveillance footage, which were then temporarily seized for forensic examination.
In its statement, the prosecution draws no conclusions about responsibility. It stresses that this is a preliminary investigation, a stage in which evidence is gathered and facts established, and that no guilt has been determined by a final ruling.
Who is being questioned in the inquiry?
The preliminary investigation is being conducted over suspicion of failures by responsible parties regarding the safety of students and staff at the faculty. On the prosecution’s orders, police have taken statements from those parties.
Among those who gave statements is the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Danijel Sinani. Statements were also taken from students who were present at the scene on the night of the incident.
Prosecutors say the case will be pursued until all relevant circumstances are established. The ongoing analyses should give a clearer picture of what exactly happened on the fifth floor and whether there were failures in ensuring safe conditions.
For now, there is no word on when the experts’ findings are expected, or whether anyone will face formal charges. In cases of this gravity, the full forensic processing of servers, cameras and DNA samples can take weeks.
The death of a young person inside a higher-education institution also raises a broader question about student safety. How prepared are our faculties to respond when tragedy strikes on their premises?
