Sarajevo for (In)justice: Four Years of the Memić Family's Fight for the Truth About Dženan's Death

By Amra Vrabac

On Saturday, February 8, it will be four years since young Dženan Memić sustained severe head injuries under still unexplained circumstances in Velika aleja, from which he died on February 15, 2016, at the University Clinical Center Sarajevo (KCUS). He was in the company of Alisa Mutap that night, who also sustained minor injuries. Both the first and second-instance court proceedings against Ljubo and Bekrija Seferović for a traffic accident in the case of Dženan Memić's death concluded with acquittals by the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo. The indictment of the Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecutor's Office could not be sustained.

Traffic accident forensics determined that there was no evidence of a traffic accident occurring on the night of February 8, and certainly no evidence that Dženan Memić was injured in it. The young man did not have a single injury typical of a vehicle hitting a pedestrian; his lower body was without injuries that could have resulted from a traffic accident. The opinions of two medical experts agree that the injuries to the young man's head could have been caused by a blow from a blunt object. Those who followed this court process could often hear numerous other contradictions in witness testimonies in the courtroom.

The Memić family has been waiting for justice for four years. They are waiting for the truth, waiting for those brave prosecutors, experts, and judges who will prosecute and establish all the lies that have surrounded this case from the very beginning. The Prosecutor's Office of BiH has opened an investigation into organized crime against several individuals, and testimonies have already been taken from numerous witnesses. Justice will soon knock on the doors of those who participated in or were accomplices in hiding the truth about the death of young Dženan Memić in any way.

After two acquittals, the Memić family has only been left to seek support from the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. That is why they are organizing protests for Dženan, for David, for all children whose deaths have not been clarified or have been covered up, for the 19th time.

"Do not allow this to be just our fight. Do not close your eyes to injustice. They are many, but we are more. They use lies, and we use the one truth. THEY KILLED DŽENAN! We promised Dženan, we swore to God, we will give our lives for this if necessary. We ask only one thing from you: to stand with us on Saturday at 1 PM, shoulder to shoulder. It is not the end, and there is no end without justice. If you give up on this, you give up on yourselves. COME," is the plea of the murdered young man's family.

The protests will be held on the plateau in front of the National Theatre in Sarajevo at 1 PM.