One month after the attack: Fear and silence prevail at the Institute of Statistics, letter sent to Nikšić

(Patria) - Employees of the Federal Institute of Statistics have sent a new open letter to the Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nermin Nikšić, warning of, as they state, continued pressure, fear and abuses in this institution, almost a month after the physical attack by the Institute's Secretary, Hasan Karačić, on employee Fadil Fatić.

The letter claims that Karačić, despite police reports, testimonies and medical documentation of injuries, has not been disciplined, and that he has been allowed to return to work.

“Employees live in constant uncertainty and fear for their own physical integrity. The terror of the named perpetrator under the ‘supervision’ of the Institute's authorized manager, Šemsa Šurković, continues,” the letter addressed to the Prime Minister states.

The workers claim that Šurković refused to initiate disciplinary proceedings and that he uses the Institute's official channels to downplay the severity of the problem and discredit those who dared to speak out, instead of protecting employees.

“Šurković calls us ‘recidivists’ and ‘people close to the suspended director,’ even though he was promoted to a managerial position by the suspended director, and Karačić was brought to the position of secretary by his decision,” the employees state.

The letter further raises suspicions of abuse of office in connection with a tender worth around two million euros for the implementation of the EU project “EU increased use of administrative data sources in production of official statistics in Bosnia and Herzegovina.” According to the employees' claims, the public procurement procedure “is being used for private profit and political influence of individuals,” and “experts from Croatia” are also involved, which, as they state, could escalate into an international scandal.

The employees have informed the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the Federal Ministry of Justice, and the Civil Service Agency of the FBiH about everything, from whom they expect a reaction.

“We demand that the Prime Minister examine the competence and responsibility of the current Institute manager. We will no longer work in fear and be exposed to threats and violence,” the employees state, announcing that they will also inform the media about everything “to protect themselves and the truth about the events at the Institute.”