Case of Bakira Hasečić: Is the attack on war victims just another "old" news?!

Members of the Network for Support to Witnesses in War Crimes Trials strongly condemn the attack on Bakira Hasečić, president of the association „Woman-Victim of War“, which occurred on May 7 in Višegrad, the Network announced, as reported by the Patria news agency.

Bakira Hasečić is a prominent activist and long-time human rights advocate, who has been fighting for the rights of women - victims of war in BiH for more than two decades through her work in the association, which currently has 5,210 members.

In the overall context, it should be borne in mind that Bakira Hasečić was and remains a very important witness in war crimes cases, and that she has already experienced threats on multiple occasions.

Nor should we ignore the fact that even twenty years after the war in BiH, we are faced with open threats to war victims, as well as unscrupulous denial of crimes. Rape victims still have not realized all their rights, with a large number of them living in difficult economic conditions.

If we want to live in a healthy and just BiH society, criminals must face justice, and victims must receive their moral and material satisfaction.

The Network for Support to Witnesses in BiH, consisting of 19 non-governmental organizations from across Bosnia and Herzegovina, demands that this incident be thoroughly investigated and accordingly adequately sanctioned, the statement reads.