SELAK QUESTIONS WORK OF BiH COURT AND HJPC, SEEKS ANSWERS FROM OSCE AND EUROPEAN COMMISSION

BANJA LUKA, MARCH 23 /SRNA/ - Republika Srpska Justice Minister Goran Selak pointed to problems in the functioning of the judiciary at the level of BiH, a lack of judges from Republika Srpska, and requested answers from the OSCE and the European Commission due to concerns about the work of the Court of BiH and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council /HJPC/ of BiH.

Selak asked how it is possible that in cases of interest to citizens of Republika Srpska, there are no judges from Republika Srpska. He particularly pointed to the case against the President of Republika Srpska, emphasizing that in that case, none of the six judges is from Republika Srpska, and raised the question of whether the CMS system for case allocation had been misused. He also questioned the existence and role of a possible commission which, he claims, bypasses the regular case allocation system, asking why it does not include representatives from Republika Srpska. Selak also expressed doubts about equality in judicial proceedings, asking whether indictments are confirmed exclusively against the Serb people, and why Republika Srpska is not represented in leadership positions within the Court of BiH. He also raised concerns about the institution’s functioning, stating that the institution appears to react urgently only in cases involving judges and prosecutors from Republika Srpska.” He reminded that last week they filed a disciplinary complaint with the HJPC regarding the conduct of the panel of the Court of BiH in the case "Čamil Ramić et al.", in which, as he stated, there are "manipulations with versions of judgments, political and fabricated qualifications, as well as malicious justifications of crimes against Serbs". Selak pointed out that, despite these allegations, there has been no public reaction from the institutions, stating that "the HJPC is silent, as is the disciplinary prosecutor," and that an official response is lacking. He asked whether the law is equal for all or whether, as he put it, "a single political narrative is being protected even at the cost of violating the law on criminal procedure," emphasizing that both the professional and the general public expect answers and equal treatment.