The Case of the Steel Plant in Smederevo: How Are Companies Punished for Polluting the Environment?
AMO
/ Ed. 2. 12. 2024
In Serbia, at least according to official data, sandy deserts do not exist. However, the residents of the villages of Radinac, Vranovo, and Ralja, located near Smederevo, have been battling in recent years with dark red dust that covers their homes and disrupts their daily lives. This dust comes from the exhaust emissions released by the Smederevo Steel Plant.
A far bigger issue than the aesthetic impact on their homes is the harm the red dust causes to people’s health, as evidenced by the findings and opinions of experts. However, despite the dust being full of heavy metals that the residents breathe in daily, the authorities have not only refrained from taking any proactive measures but have also dismissed every attempt by citizens to bring the company to court and hold it criminally accountable.
The article by Nina Čolić was originaly published with the support of the project Enhancing the Capacities of Serbian Investigative Journalists in Mapping Foreign Influence in Serbia by Danas. You can read the original version in Serbian here.
