Nikšić: Bosnia and Herzegovina's judiciary needs radical reform, citizens increasingly distrust justice

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Yesterday's verdict of the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo, by which the accused for the death of two female students, Selma Agić and Edita Malkoč, was sentenced to 14.5 years in prison, while all accomplices were acquitted, once again shows that the judiciary in Bosnia and Herzegovina needs radical reform that will primarily consider the needs of victims, the injured, and disenfranchised citizens, said Nermin Nikšić, president of the SDP BiH, in a press release.

- Holders of judicial functions, if they wish to gain public trust, must have more sensitivity for justice, because they are evidently in hibernation and do not see that citizens trust them less and less and demand radical changes in the domain of the judicial branch.

We, in the Social Democratic Party of BiH, have always advocated for an independent, autonomous, and professional judiciary, for responsible and efficient security services, which will work exclusively in the interest of citizens. We have always believed in and supported these institutions and demanded that they do their job regardless of the political, national, status, or any other affiliation of those who have violated the law.

At the same time, we demand accountability from all in law enforcement institutions and the judicial system for inaction, omissions, and especially abuses of these institutions, which we witness daily.

I remind the public that during the mandate of the SDP government, we submitted to the parliamentary procedure amendments to the Criminal Code of the Federation of BiH with the aim of tightening penal policy for violent crime, including reckless driving and severe forms of endangering safety.

Unfortunately, we remained alone in these initiatives, which, had they been adopted, would not have allowed someone to be sentenced to such a penalty for the double death of young girls. In our Plan 10, we clearly stated that one of the priority measures in the domain of justice and security will consist of adopting these legislative amendments.

Once again, I express my deepest condolences to the families of the injured, as a man and a parent I absolutely understand their pain and disappointment with this outcome, and I express the hope that this case will prompt all of us to take concrete steps as soon as possible so that such and similar cases never happen again, and that people who cause anyone's death are adequately punished for it in order to satisfy justice, concludes Nikšić.