A, SHOULD WE ASK KAJGANIĆ? The City Seeks Justice in Milan, but Not in Sarajevo!?

By: Amina Čorbo-Zećo

The City Council of Sarajevo has decided that the City will officially join the criminal proceedings conducted before the judicial bodies in Milan, in the case known as "Sarajevo Safari". At first glance, this appears to be a commendable act, with the city recognizing injustice and striving to protect its reputation and interests in international justice.

However, upon closer examination of the context, the decision becomes a symbol of double standards in the politics and judiciary of Bosnia and Herzegovina. And Italy probably sounds more exotic, so the city authorities like to promote themselves internationally. Council members and Mayor Samir Avdić are following in the footsteps of Benjamina Karić, creating 'big stories'.

Because, clearly, they don't care about their own backyard, they prefer others'.

Namely, while they are energetically joining a case being conducted hundreds of kilometers away from Sarajevo, the competent authorities, including the City Council, have never sent a formal initiative to the BiH Prosecutor's Office to prosecute crimes committed against Sarajevo during the siege.

The city was besieged, civilians were terrorized by snipers, and the daily lives of citizens turned into hell, all during a period that is internationally documented, but in which domestic institutions have not shown adequate determination.

However, we have not had such initiatives or urgencies. Therefore, we could not expect the Council to stand up in defense of the members of the Army of RBiH and the MUP of RBiH who defended the city and are today defending their innocence! For example, those accused in the Dobrovoljačka case have no help from the City!

The decision to join the Italian proceedings, while ignoring one's own city and citizens for years, clearly shows inconsistency. What message does this send to the citizens of Sarajevo? That justice is only valid when it is international and when it brings political points, while one's own crimes and suffering remain in the shadow of revisionism.

The City Council should ask itself how it is possible to engage in the "Sarajevo Safari" case, while simultaneously ignoring the brutal attacks on Sarajevo, the siege that lasted almost four years, the sniping of civilians, and the continuous terror over the population.

This selectivity in the "fight for justice" sends a message that political and symbolic gestures are often more important than the actual prosecution of crimes.

The citizens of Sarajevo deserve for their suffering to be recognized and legally prosecuted, regardless of how much time has passed. Justice must not be an instrument used only when it suits political correctness or international perception. Double standards, selective justice, and the ignorance of one's own victims are the biggest problems with such decisions.

While the City boasts about its "international engagement," the question arises as to when the same energy and determination will be directed towards what is one's own, towards what is the real Sarajevo and the real citizens of Sarajevo.

To start, they should ask Milanko Kajganić, as well as the entire Prosecutor's Office, why there are no indictments for the siege of Sarajevo, because Italy is far away, isn't it?