NO EX OFFICIO ACTION BY BiH PROSECUTORS DESPITE REPORTED GUNFIRE AT PUBLIC EVENT AT HASIN VRH

SARAJEVO, FEBRUARY 20 /SRNA/ – The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH did not act ex officio regarding a gathering at Hasin Vrh near Bihać where, again this February, Bosniak extremists assembled chanting "Tekbir" and "Allahu Akbar" and firing gunshots, although it is obligated to act in situations where firearms are used at public events.

The Prosecutor’s Office showed no willingness to address the case, which year after year unsettles the small Serb population through gunfire and chants associated, according to the report, with crimes committed against Serb prisoners during the war by members of the so-called Army of BiH assisted by fighters from Arab countries. The Prosecutor’s Office told SRNA that it had not received a report either from police agencies or from citizens and that, for that reason, it did not initiate proceedings ex officio. However, what occurred at Hasin Vrh is publicly available, having been published in the media and on social networks, yet the Prosecutor’s Office did not act, although under the law it is required to do so. According to the report, such legal provisions are applied only in cases involving events or actions concerning Serbs. Under the Law on the Prosecutor’s Office, a public gathering at which firearms are used, as was reportedly the case at Hasin Vrh, as evidenced by video footage, contains elements of a criminal offense and requires mandatory action ex officio. Instead of providing direct answers, the Prosecutor’s Office suggested seeking information from police agencies "if there is knowledge that firearms were used." According to the report, the footage has been published on numerous portals in Republika Srpska, the Federation of BiH, and on social media. In a repeated inquiry, specific questions were posed as to whether the Prosecutor’s Office considers the use of firearms at a public gathering permissible and whether failure to act is justified in situations where citizens' safety is endangered, but no response was received. The report states that each year, amid chants accompanied by gunfire, a small number of Serb returnees relive the same fears, reminding that they were expelled from their homes during the war under similar chants. It further alleges that prosecuting those responsible in such cases is not a priority for BiH prosecutors, whereas cases involving Serbs are handled urgently, including on the basis of decisions imposed by foreign officials.