SELAK: EXPERT GATHERINGS TO HIGHLIGHT PROBLEMS IN FUNCTIONING OF BiH JUDICIARY

BANJA LUKA, MARCH 17 /SRNA/ - The Minister of Justice of Republika Srpska Goran Selak announced that in the coming period round tables and an expert conference will be organized where legal experts, the academic community, and representatives of institutions will point out problems in the functioning of the judiciary at the level of BiH.

"At that gathering, we will invite all relevant domestic and international actors so that we can openly discuss and adopt conclusions that will point to disputed actions of the Court of BiH and the need to restore trust in the judicial system," Selak emphasized. He stressed that the goal of Republika Srpska is not conflict, but reconciliation and equality among the peoples in BiH, and that there are concerns that selective justice and politically motivated processes could further undermine relations and stability in the country. "Is it normal that in the case against the President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik six judges participated, yet none of them were from Republika Srpska? Does this speak of judicial impartiality or of a politically motivated process?" Selak asked. He stated that the structure of the Court of BiH and the fact that there are almost no people from Republika Srpska among its judges and staff clearly indicate a serious problem of equality. "The public has the right to receive answers to serious suspicions-whether the acting president of the Court of BiH deliberately bypassed the CMS system for automatic case allocation and formed an informal commission under her own control in order to select `suitable` judges in the case against the President of Republika Srpska, ready to deliver a politically motivated verdict," Selak said. "That is why today I ask what the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH is doing and what the Office of the Disciplinary Prosecutor is doing. Will they finally investigate allegations of abuse of the case allocation system and possible political influence on the judiciary?" Selak asked. According to him, the public also has the right to know what is happening with a large number of indictments for the criminal offense of "prohibition of glorifying war criminals or denying war crimes," introduced through amendments to the Criminal Code of BiH in July 2021 imposed by Valentin Inzko, which were not adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH. "Has that provision become a tool of political pressure exclusively against one people, while reports and indictments concerning members of other peoples are regularly dismissed?" Selak asked. Selak emphasized that the latest scandal has been particularly concerning, further shaking trust in the judicial institutions of BiH. "How is it possible that the Court of BiH, in a verdict for a war crime against Serb soldiers in Goražde, inserted a narrative about the so-called `Sarajevo safari,` sniping and killing of children, even mentioning the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and then, after public reactions, deleted that version of the verdict and wrote a new one?" Selak asked.