Persecution of Serbs in BPK Goražde Ministry of Internal Affairs, retaliation for discrimination story

(Patria) - Police Commissioner in BPK Goražde Mirsad Hrapo, by decision of 15.02.2021, transferred police officer Davor Vukašinović from the Ustikolina Police Station to the Prača Police Station. In police circles in Goražde, a transfer to Prača is considered a punishment for disobedient and unsuitable police officers.

The transfer decision comes after Patria wrote about the discrimination of Serbs in the promotion process, for which a court proceeding will be initiated. It was not enough for the management of the Goražde police that their decision on testing on Christmas Eve gave reason to suspect discrimination on religious grounds; they are now repaying Vukašinović for 20 years of dedicated service by sending him to work in Prača. Those twenty years of service, as well as the professional development and commendations this officer received for his work, were never enough for him to be considered for promotion.

The police commissioner did not wish to answer Patria's inquiries as to whether this was retaliation for Vukašinović speaking out publicly about possible discrimination and announcing a lawsuit. According to the Decision, Vukašinović is being transferred to Prača based on the indicated need to perform the duties of a police officer. The explanation further states that the rank of "senior police officer" is foreseen for this position, which Vukašinović became back in 2008. That things are not "clean" is shown by another Decision signed by Commissioner Hrapo on the same day, which shows that the position in Prača was not vacant. Zoran Lasica was performing that job in Prača, and the commissioner is now transferring him to the position of community liaison officer in Ustikolina, which Vukašinović previously held.

Davor Vukašinović did not wish to speak to Patria about this, but according to well-informed sources from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he could also face disciplinary action because he gave us a statement last time.

Vukašinović not only angered the current police commissioner due to his complaint about possible discrimination in the promotion process, but also former Minister of Internal Affairs Nijaz Musić, who had previously told Vukašinović that he lacked the capacity for advancement. Although he did not wish to give a statement to Patria at the time, Musić complained to us after the article about this statement, claiming that he barely knew the officer.

The promotion process in the police has caused considerable controversy, as it was believed, among other things, to serve as a means of influencing individuals who were allegedly supposed to reciprocate through the police recruitment commission, which was later annulled due to doubts about its regularity. Patria has previously written about the appointment of Mirsad Hrapo to the position of commissioner. He came to that position instead of the dismissed Adem Laković, who was criticized precisely because he was not prepared to engage in irregularities with the police recruitment tender. The legality of Laković's dismissal, which was questioned by the OHR and the US Embassy, is being proven in court, just as the appointment procedure of Hrapo to the position of commissioner should be proven.

The then leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not favor the acting police commissioner Saladin Pleh, who was rated better than Hrapo. In the BPK Goražde Ministry of Internal Affairs, professionalism has long been called into question by bad decisions and the selection of worse candidates, as well as the independence of the police. Everything ultimately culminated in the dismissal of Minister Nizama Rišljanin. Patria will soon write again about the fact that pressure and blackmail of employees in the BPK Goražde Ministry of Internal Affairs are not new, nor is "interference" in tender procedures.