Manhunt for Gorski Matovic, Pardons Challenged in Court
Lawyers for Lazar Srdic ask the Constitutional Court to annul the pardons in the Futoska pijaca case, while a manhunt is on for pardoned Gorski Matovic over threats.
The Constitutional Court of Serbia has received a constitutional appeal against the decisions to pardon four defendants charged with attacking citizens near the Futoska pijaca market in Novi Sad. It was filed on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, by the attorneys of the injured party Lazar Srdic, lawyers Vladimir Beljanski and Srdjan Hromis, and the main hearing before the Higher Court in Novi Sad has been postponed as a result. On the same day the news became public, the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad ordered the arrest of two people, among them Gorski Matovic, who was also pardoned, but in a separate case.
What are the lawyers asking the Constitutional Court to do?
The appeal makes three demands. The first is that the Constitutional Court find a violation of the injured party’s right to physical and mental integrity. The second is that the pardon decisions issued by the former President of the Republic be annulled. The third is an urgent interim measure: that the Constitutional Court suspend the execution of the pardons before it reaches a final decision.
The Higher Court in Novi Sad, which is handling the case, will ask the Constitutional Court when a ruling on the injured party’s request can be expected. In practice, this means that both the application of the pardons and a verdict that would end the proceedings against the four men by rejecting the indictment are on hold.
At the hearing, the public prosecutor and the attorneys for the injured parties voiced suspicion that the pardons were abused and pointed to flaws in the procedure by which they were issued. That procedure is the subject of an investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime. We previously published a list of 49 names that appeared among those pardoned.
Who was pardoned in the Futoska pijaca case?
The case concerns December 13, 2024. A black Porsche tried to drive through a crowd of citizens in Novi Sad who were paying their respects to the victims of the canopy collapse. The vehicle knocked down several people and stopped, and then four men came back and attacked those gathered.
Four defendants are on trial before the Higher Court in Novi Sad, and all four have been pardoned: Aleksandar Kocic, Nemanja Naraci, Ognjen Stankovic and Stevica Kis. Gorski Matovic is not on that list, as he was pardoned in a different case.
Why is Gorski Matovic being sought?
On Thursday, November 5, the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad ordered the arrest of D. K. and Gorski Matovic. They are suspected of endangering the safety of several people with a serious threat to their lives on October 25, election day, in the Novo Naselje neighborhood of Novi Sad. The offense is classified as endangering safety under Article 138, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Criminal Code.
D. K. has been arrested and can be held for up to 48 hours, during which the prosecutor will question him. A manhunt has been issued for Matovic.
The portal 021 reported earlier that on election day in Novo Naselje, a group around Matovic shouted threats and insults at members of a mobile team, including the words “We’ll kill you all, are you normal, kids”, and that a criminal complaint was filed over it. For now this is only a suspicion, and no one has been found guilty.
What remains open is when the Constitutional Court will answer the Higher Court in Novi Sad, since that date determines when the main hearing can resume.
