Towards the Truth Together: Key Demands for Improving the Search for Missing Persons Defined in Bihać

(Patria) - The Advisory Board of the Institute for Missing Persons of BiH held a round table today in Bihać titled "Joint Action Towards the Truth - Improving the Process of Searching for Missing Persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina".

The meeting was attended by families of missing persons, representatives of the Institute for Missing Persons of BiH, the BiH Prosecutor's Office and the Una-Sana Canton Prosecutor's Office, the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), and representatives of the City of Bihać.

After Midheta Kaloper, Chairperson of the Advisory Board, opened the meeting, Saliha Đuderija, member of the Collegium of Directors of the Institute for Missing Persons of BiH, presented the Institute's activities in the past period and the measures being taken to improve the work on finding missing persons.

She emphasized that, despite the challenges, the process of searching for and identifying victims is continuous.

- In the last five years, the remains of 741 missing persons have been identified. Of this number, 243 cases involve new identities, while 489 cases relate to victims who were previously identified - Đuderija stated.

During the presentations by institutional representatives and the active discussion of all participants, the families of missing persons demanded more efficient and intensive action from all competent authorities.

Kaloper, presenting the conclusions after the discussion, emphasized that it is clear from everything said that improving the capacity of the Institute for Missing Persons is of crucial importance, both in terms of staffing and in terms of equipping it with the most modern technologies that can assist in the search process.

- At the same time, the funds available in the Institute's sub-account, which are intended for paying for information about grave locations, must be operational, and everything must be done to make them available for this purpose as soon as possible - Kaloper said.

In a constructive discussion, participants presented the following concrete proposals and steps that would contribute to improving the process:

• Urgent initiation of the procedure to amend the Rulebook on the Use of Funds of the Institute for Missing Persons of BiH, to enable the payment of information on grave locations;

• Procurement of modern technological aids;

• More active involvement of local police agencies in the search process, with active monitoring of witnesses in court proceedings that could lead to information about grave locations;

• Strengthening the analytical capacities of the Institute, with special training for employees in working with documentation available after the opening of the ICTY archives, as well as access to military archives;

• Insisting that the BiH Court and the BiH Prosecutor's Office apply the Criminal Code, according to which hiding information about grave locations is punishable by imprisonment.

Participants of the round table particularly emphasized that inter-institutional cooperation, data exchange, and strengthening operational capacities are key to achieving better results in the process of searching for missing persons, as well as for restoring dignity to families who have been searching for the truth for three decades.