OSCE condemns glorification of war criminals and burning of BiH flag on January 9, has a message for the judiciary too

(Patria) - The OSCE Mission to BiH (Mission) strongly condemns the incidents of January 9, 2026, including the glorification of convicted war criminals and the desecration of Bosnia and Herzegovina's symbols. Besides being potential criminal offenses, such actions are deeply offensive to the victims of past atrocities; they jeopardize reconciliation and are contrary to the fundamental values such as peace, justice, and respect, on which every democratic society must be based.

"The Mission regrets that leading political actors and other officials failed to seize the opportunity to prevent such actions, and have not yet distanced themselves from these events nor adequately responded to them. The failure to react decisively to phenomena of this kind carries the risk of creating an atmosphere of impunity and sends a worrying message that actions of this nature can be tolerated.

The Mission calls on the judiciary to effectively, thoroughly, and promptly apply legally prescribed procedures. In this regard, the Mission highlights the positive practice of certain institutions, where ongoing investigations should be completed as a priority," stated the OSCE.