ANALYSIS UNDERWAY Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office warns: Public release of tram footage could harm investigation

(Patria) - In front of the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office, which is investigating the tram accident in which a 23-year-old young man lost his life, a minor was seriously injured, and three people were slightly injured, today demands were read out at a protest gathering.

Four demands include full transparency of the investigation, release of the tram accident footage, data on tram maintenance, removal of unsafe vehicles from traffic, i.e., old trams, systemic responsibility, and a long-term solution, i.e., the construction of a quality and safe public transport system.

In recent days, the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office has provided brief and terse information. In the motion for detention of the tram driver, the prosecutor referred to expert testimonies and stated that it was intentional. The Cantonal Court did not accept such a motion from the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office and refused to order detention. The driver was released, and upon leaving the court building, he received great support from his work colleagues, primarily tram drivers, as well as the public. Apart from the statements he gave to the investigative authorities, the driver did not give statements to the media as he has the status of a suspect.

Following today's protests, as well as after the statements made by GRAS Director Senad Mujagić, who resigned, and Minister of Transport Adnan Šteta, that documentation and the camera from the tram are being seized, the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office issued a statement.

"As for the investigation, the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office communicates to the extent possible under the Law on Criminal Procedure of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We remind you that a team of prosecutors from the General and Economic Crime Departments is actively working on the case.

The responsibility of everyone in the chain is being determined. Also, the footage from the tram camera, which is undergoing analysis by order of the prosecutors, is evidence, and its public release could harm the investigation in such a complex case," the statement said.

The only footage of the accident that has been publicly released is one that was accidentally recorded from a car stopped at a traffic light. However, that intersection is near the US Embassy, and it is likely the most surveilled intersection in Bosnia and Herzegovina, given that the embassy wall extends along the entire disputed route the tram was traveling on from the train station to the station near the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.