Local Justice: More Protests Over ‘Unequal Treatment’ of Victims
Dissatisfied with the work of Bosnia's Institute for Missing Persons, INO, a group of families of detainees, fallen soldiers and missing civilians in Republika Srpska announce they will organise new, larger protests in the beginning of December.
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The Association of Families of Detainees, Fallen Soldiers and Missing Civilians of Republika Srpska, RS, announced that between December 5 and 10 it would ask for requests made by families of missing persons from RS to be carried out, or else it would organise “more massive protests”.
“We shall organise protests in front of the International Commission for Missing Persons, the Council of Ministers, the OHR and the US Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where we will ask officials to address us and respond to our requests.
“We shall organise protests in front of the International Commission for Missing Persons, the Council of Ministers, the OHR and the US Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where we will ask officials to address us and respond to our requests.
“If they fail to do that, we shall probably opt for some sort of a blockade and we shall not accept the INO in the future,” says Nedeljko Mitrovic, the Association president.
The group demonstrated in front of local INO offices in Eastern Sarajevo and Banja Luka on November 22.
They say that “the unequal treatment of victims from RS by the Institute for Missing Persons” is the main reason for their dissatisfaction and protests.
“First of all, we point to the slow process of searching for missing persons, and the disbalance to the detriment of families from RS,” Mitrovic explained.
In Republika Srpska 1,724 persons are still missing from the war period. Bosnia’s INO says that 909 remains were exhumed during the course of 2010, while 790 persons have been identified.
“It was explained that the Institute for Missing Persons searches for all victims, irrespective of their ethnic or religious affiliation, without any kind of discrimination. The protesters have not specified the concrete reasons for their dissatisfaction,” says Lejla Cengic, spokesperson with the institute.
The group demonstrated in front of local INO offices in Eastern Sarajevo and Banja Luka on November 22.
They say that “the unequal treatment of victims from RS by the Institute for Missing Persons” is the main reason for their dissatisfaction and protests.
“First of all, we point to the slow process of searching for missing persons, and the disbalance to the detriment of families from RS,” Mitrovic explained.
In Republika Srpska 1,724 persons are still missing from the war period. Bosnia’s INO says that 909 remains were exhumed during the course of 2010, while 790 persons have been identified.
“It was explained that the Institute for Missing Persons searches for all victims, irrespective of their ethnic or religious affiliation, without any kind of discrimination. The protesters have not specified the concrete reasons for their dissatisfaction,” says Lejla Cengic, spokesperson with the institute.
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This article is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID.) The contents of this article are the sole responsibility of Balkan investigative reporting network (BIRN) and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
