Arapović for Patria: Lawlessness in BiH began when the political leadership started challenging court rulings

The credibility of the highest judicial institutions in BiH has been significantly shaken, especially in the last few months. Both domestic and international experts are warning of this danger, writes Patria.

Authorities from the BiH entity of Republika Srpska do not recognize the results of the census by the Agency for Statistics of BiH! They do not want to register military property from the RS entity to the state of BiH, despite the ruling of the Constitutional Court of BiH.

Obstructions of the legal system also come from the Federation. The Constitutional Court of FBiH ordered the Parliament of FBiH to adopt a new law on Tourism of FBiH back in 2014, but this has not happened to this day! The Government of the Sarajevo Canton established a new tourist community, even though the Constitutional Court of FBiH has not yet assessed the constitutionality of the Law on Tourism in the Sarajevo Canton...

Finally, more than 90 rulings of the Constitutional Court of BiH have not been implemented to this day, including those related to the prohibition of discrimination against children, but no one has faced consequences for this!

The rector of the University of Sarajevo, Rifat Škrijelj, publicly stated that he will not submit documentation to the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH, which called for a review of the citizenships of individuals who acquired BiH citizenship through naturalization between 1992 and 1996. Škrijelj allegedly falls into the category whose citizenship is subject to review, but he will not respond to the ministry's call. He justifies this by saying that he has been in BiH for too long and has given too much to BiH for someone to now review his citizenship. 

Adis Arapović, a political scientist and analyst, believes that lawlessness in BiH began on the day when the highest political leadership started publicly challenging court rulings and consciously working to undermine the credibility of the legal order, thereby promoting legal uncertainty and inequality. It is evident, he says, that politicians and holders of public functions are leading the way in inciting anarchy, and then that anarchy will knock on their doors.

- It is completely irrelevant what we individually think about some obligation we have towards the state. If someone
believes that they have been harmed or discriminated against by any act or order of state institutions, there are instances where this is proven, acts are challenged, and the state is forced to correct the injustice – Arapović told the Patria news agency.

- If the rulings of constitutional and other high courts had not been systematically ignored, today in Mostar citizens would be preparing for local elections, the Federation would have a Law on Tourism, the political leadership of Republika Srpska would not have completely polluted the political space with a referendum circus, and I won't list 90 such examples. The dilettantism of politicians who declare themselves pro-Bosnian and devoted to constitutional patriotism has led to this situation where people take the law into their own hands, mocking law, order, and system, and encouraging all of us who try to be responsible citizens to do the same. Either they wish for it or they are not aware that in this way we are sliding towards a banana republic, a Colombian cartel order of lawlessness, violence, injustice, and chaos, when even life will no longer be sacred – believes Arapović, writes Patria.