Bosniaks swept out of HNK judiciary leadership: Accused in Vranica case to be tried by former HVO officer Marin Zadrić

In the last few months of this year, with its decisions, the HJPC BiH in Mostar filled two vacant judicial leadership positions that were recently held by Bosniaks, writes the news agency Patria.

Instead of the Chief Prosecutor of the HNK Cantonal Prosecutor's Office Mladen Jurišić, who was appointed to that position by decision of the HJPC allegedly from the 'Others' category, after the retirement of Nijaz Mehmedbašić, Zdenko Kovač, a former prosecutor in the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office, from the Croatian people, has now been appointed.

To the position of judge of the Cantonal Court in Mostar, instead of Bosniak Hamo Kebe, Marin Zadrić from the Croatian people has been appointed, the former president of the Municipal Court in Mostar, a high-ranking HVO officer, and allegedly the head of SIS during the war.

The HJPC continues its discriminatory charade against Bosniaks and appoints judge Damir Međić, also a Croat, as acting president of the Municipal Court in Mostar, without sufficient judicial experience and references (only a few years as a judge).

It is evident that Međić's main reference for appointment was his leadership position in the well-known HDZ company Hercegovina Osiguranje, a branch of the well-known Hercegovačka Banka, which was shut down by the High Representative due to its role in the "Croatian Self-Government" affair.

The Constitution of the FBiH (Article 6 and Article 11, paragraph 4) regulates the principle of national representation in municipal and cantonal judicial institutions.

Similarly, Article 43 of the Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH establishes the criteria for filling leadership judicial positions, meaning it is determined that the HJPC is obliged to apply the principle of equality and representation of constituent peoples in its work when filling these positions, guided by the current census.

It is evident that for the HJPC BiH, when it comes to filling judicial positions in Mostar, the provisions of the FBiH Constitution, nor the legal provisions, are not applicable, because the aforementioned appointments significantly violate the mentioned provisions of the Constitution and laws.

With such behavior, the HJPC not only discriminates against Bosniaks in Mostar but, by appointing Marin Zadrić as a judge in the Criminal Division of the Cantonal Court in Mostar, leaves that division without a judge from the Bosniak people.

Given that the Criminal Division also handles war crimes cases, in Mostar in the future, in war crimes cases, a judge in the Cantonal Court in Mostar will not be and cannot be from the Bosniak people, which is contrary to the rules introduced by the HJPC.

Despite the warnings and reaction of the cantonal Minister of Justice Suad Balić regarding the illegality of this appointment, nothing has changed.

Not only has nothing changed, but according to NAP's findings, the newly appointed judge of the Cantonal Court in Mostar, Marin Zadrić, a former HVO colonel who committed horrific crimes against Bosniaks captured in the Vranica building in Mostar, has been assigned to judge the accused members of the HVO in the "Vranica" case.

Unfortunately, apart from the aforementioned reaction of the cantonal Minister of Justice, there are no other reactions to such actions and behavior of the HJPC BiH. There are no reactions from other competent authorities, the international community, political parties, or veterans' associations.

When, in addition to the above, the situation and events in the Ministry of Internal Affairs (the case of the illegal appointment of the police commissioner and the fact that Croats hold all important and leadership positions in the MUP) and the events surrounding the elections in Mostar (pressure to amend the Election Law to satisfy the HDZ's demand for Croat dominance in Mostar) are taken into account, the impression is created that in Mostar, the "joint criminal enterprise" continues, the consequences of which were and will be tragic for Bosniaks not only in Mostar but throughout Herzegovina.