Arijana Memić: Those who protect my brother's killers are returning to power

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - People and Justice representative Arijana Memić addressed today's session of the Canton Sarajevo Assembly, stating that citizens will evaluate the work of the Canton Sarajevo Government.

"The government that restored lost hope that things could be different, showed that it is possible to work in the interest of citizens, publicly and transparently. Today, the fate of this government is being decided by those who prioritize personal interest over the general interest, by cronies and those who have set aside the injustice done to them personally, all for the sake of their political bosses' interests. Today, the dismissal of the Government is being decided by Aljoša Čampara, who is also the Federal Minister of Interior, an institution where certain material evidence regarding my brother's murder was destroyed. No one has ever been held accountable for that.

Today, this government will likely be dismissed by political minions. I am aware of the competencies of the Canton and the Government, but I am also aware of the political power and authority of those who are trying to take over power today.

I am quite certain that the Canton Sarajevo, where this Government successfully began the reform process, will return to its original state, a state of complete legal uncertainty.

I will remind you that during the previous government, the judicial system in the Canton Sarajevo was brought to a collapse. I will remind you of the murder of my brother Dženan Memić, in which a networked system staged a traffic accident. The case of my brother's murder is a matter that has been shaking the Bosnian-Herzegovinian judiciary for 4 years, without any reaction from state officials.

The readiness of the highest officials to prevent the resolution of Dženan Memić's murder, which leads to the top of power, has brought citizens into a situation of hopelessness and distrust. I will remind you of the 'Sefić' case, of our Selma and Edita, whose families are still waiting for justice. I will remind you of Hava Dovadžija, Mahir Rakovac, and numerous other cases where the inaction of the Canton Sarajevo Prosecutor's Office came to the fore. A Prosecutor's Office that, by all accounts, is under the influence of the ruling political party.

This is life, this is the truth, this is what is happening in our Canton. This is what most of you turn a blind eye to. Behind each of these cases are dozens, even hundreds of human destinies.

Innocent people who have been wronged, driven to despair by political dictates and poor judicial investigations and verdicts. With the coming to power of the former government, we will have a situation where prosecutors protect murderers instead of bringing them to justice. Instead of being criminally liable for knowingly covering up a murder, they are rewarded with higher positions, some even inventing functions.

It has been proven that ranks are awarded based on merit, specifically in covering up murders.

The case concerning the death of my brother Dženan Memić was initiated while the chief cantonal prosecutor was Dalida Burzić. She was subsequently promoted to the position of judge at the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The then deputy of Dalida Burzić, Anika Kešelj, was appointed as a prosecutor in the Federal Prosecutor's Office. Prosecutors of the Canton Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecutor's Office, Mladen Furtula and Ivana Petković, were appointed as state prosecutors.

Seada Kreštalicu, one of the acting prosecutors, was proposed by the current chief cantonal prosecutor Sabina Sarajlija for the position of acting deputy.

Sanctioning prosecutors and police officers for organized crime and attempted cover-up of murder would send a message that no one is above the law, and provide an answer to the question of who killed Dženan.

But it is obvious that political power brokers and the state mafia are not interested in the truth coming out.

Today I speak as the sister of the murdered Dženan Memić, as a representative of more than 8,000 citizens who have placed their trust in me, and they expect me to raise this issue. All of you, today you have the right to declare yourselves, not as political minions but as parents who do not want their children to grow up in such an environment.

The Canton Sarajevo Government must work according to the law and in the interest of citizens. It must. In the interest of those who have given them their trust. However, stopping processes that are transparent and positive for citizens is certainly not in the interest of citizens. The interest of those who want to dismiss this government at any cost is solely narrow party interest, and how they will distribute and take control of our money and public goods, and protect each other. That is their only interest. And you have evidence of that in the cases I have cited, in the case of Dženan Memić, for example. With this step, they are returning us, as citizens, to a state of normalization of cover-ups, under-the-table deals, and shady dealings, to a state of deciding the fate of the Canton in cafes, lobbying individuals of dubious morality. Is that what we, the citizens, want? As someone who has felt the systemic crime of institutions on their own skin, I can tell you that this is certainly not what a normal person wants for themselves and their children. Whose child is next? Which one of us is next?

I will not prolong this any further; you have the facts before you. Dear fellow citizens, you have eyes, ears, and reason. You have rights guaranteed by the constitution and laws of this country. But you also have a responsibility, if not for yourselves, then for your children. Do not let them intimidate you. Fear must have no place in politics, and we will fight for that," said Memić, after which part of the representatives supported the representative with applause.