Demobilised Fighters Turn to the FBiH Parliament: No Emergency Sessions, Protesters Do Not Give Up

Today, a group of demobilised fighters are spending the day in front of the FBiH Government building, Patria reports.

They no longer know, as they say, what to expect, but they are now focused on the FBiH Parliament, to which the FBiH Government, by its conclusion, ordered the Collegiums of both houses of the FBiH Parliament to urgently convene emergency sessions and, under an expedited procedure, consider and adopt amendments to the Law on the Rights of Defenders and Members of Their Families, in order to provide a legal basis for the creation and publication of a Unique Register of Defenders and Beneficiaries of Rights in the area of defender-disability protection, including a database (register) of all forms of assistance from budgets at all levels of government in BiH.

However, to date, there have been no meetings of the Collegiums of either the House of Representatives or the House of Peoples, and no sessions have been scheduled. The FBiH Government adopted this conclusion after the fighters, who have been protesting in front of the FBiH Government for the third week, demanded a unique register of fighters as one of their basic demands.

Jasenko Tufekčić, Deputy Speaker of the House of Peoples of the PF BiH, earlier told Patria that the FBiH Government's conclusion has not yet been considered.

- There were Bajram holidays, I think we haven't even received that conclusion from the Government. The only thing known at this moment is the date of the regular session on July 6th – Tufekčić said.

He could not say anything more precise about the emergency session.

It is obvious that the parliamentarians are in no hurry, and the demobilised fighters, who have been waiting for their rights for more than 22 years, are running out of time.

Sick, exhausted, hungry and betrayed, they spend their days in front of the FBiH Government, demanding minimum rights, a fighter's allowance for the unemployed, health care, and a register of actual members of the Army of the RBiH. 

- Now we will certainly demand that those sessions be held. It is obvious that everyone is shifting responsibility, but we will not give up – said Ibrahim Hasanović, who has been sitting in front of the Government building since the first day of the protest, waiting for his rights.