Prosecutor's Office of Sarajevo Canton on the Pazarić Institute and the published video: We are investigating the actions of everyone in the chain of responsibility, as well as the stalking report

(Patria) - The Prosecutor's Office of Sarajevo Canton is acting in two cases concerning the Pazarić Institute after a video of the abuse of residents of this institution was publicly released, which was filmed by an employee of the Institute and published on social media.

"The first relates to the director's report against a driver for alleged stalking, i.e., harassment. The second case relates to the video published in the media. Actions are actively being taken in both cases to verify the allegations and collect evidence. At the same time, the Prosecutor's Office will examine the actions or inactions of everyone in the chain of responsibility related to this case, and we remind the public that the Prosecutor's Office makes decisions based on facts and evidence, not on media appearances by individual actors," stated the Prosecutor's Office of Sarajevo Canton.

The disturbing video shows a man abusing and mistreating an elderly resident of the "Pazarić" Institute in an ambulance.

In their initial reaction, the Institute stated that the employee who published the video is currently on sick leave, but also that "there are serious indications that the employee abused the resident from the video, mistreats other residents, filmed all of this, and did not inform his colleagues, superiors, or the director of the institution about it".

The director of the Pazarić Institute, Amra Bučan, said today that the same employee tried to blackmail her with these recordings, that he was following her, and that everything had been reported to the competent authorities.

"The case was initiated on 11.9. when I found out that Edin Osmanović had been following me for eight months. He tracks my movements via GPS. I reported it to the FUP, it's about personal stalking. I took action within the legal framework. On 26.09. I was informed that Edin Osmanović, who was not at work that day but was on sick leave, possessed certain photos and would sell them to certain representatives for 50,000 KM. I was too busy, I had the Supervisory Board meeting, and then in the evening, I reported it to the FUP.

I strongly condemn the violence against the residents. During Saturday, I didn't know what was happening at the FUP, and on Sunday, I was informed by employees that Osmanović had published the video and photos. I asked what happened in the video, and they told me that one resident was abusing another resident. It's about a resident attacking another, and we took action. We spoke with him and found out that Edin Osmanović blackmailed that resident, offered him money. He had previously asked for fixed residents to be filmed. I don't want such situations to happen, I don't want our residents to be in the media in any way. I am sure there is no violence from the staff," Bučan emphasized.

She pointed out that the entire incident that was filmed took place outside the premises of the Pazarić Institute when the residents were taken for examination to a private institution.

This is not the first time that incidents have been associated with the Pazarić Institute, and a previous case even ended up in court. This institution currently has 330 residents with various mental and physical conditions.

Today, the Minister of Labor, Social Affairs, and Ex-Combatants' Affairs, Adnan Delić, also commented, stating that the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, and Ex-Combatants' Affairs has done everything within its jurisdiction and called for the re-establishment of the social protection inspectorate.


"The Ministry has taken all necessary steps earlier, we have adopted the standards we were supposed to adopt, we have introduced video surveillance in the institution, hired additional caregivers who look after the residents, and taken all measures within our power. On the other hand, the Ministry of Health has not yet adopted standards related to their area, and the federal level of government has not yet amended the Law on Inspections and reinstated the inspectorate for social protection. I hereby appeal to both the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and both houses of Parliament to adopt the initiative of the Federal Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, and Ex-Combatants' Affairs, which was forwarded to the relevant authorities long ago, to reinstate the social protection inspectorate," Delić said.