Protest by students next Wednesday in front of the FBiH Government: Five months have passed and no one has yet been held accountable for the deaths of 29 people

(Patria) - The informal student group "Hoće l' ta promjena" (Will that change happen) has announced a protest for Wednesday, April 9, in front of the FBiH Government building between 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM.

The students note that the FBiH Government has not yet responded to their demands concerning last year's catastrophic floods.

As they state, the FBiH Government is responsible for the situation in Donja Jablanica, Konjic, Fojnica, as well as other areas affected by landslides and floods in October.

"Not only has the FBiH Government not responded to our demands, but it has also not responded to the demands and pleas of the residents of these areas.

This is particularly evident in Donja Jablanica, where residents confirmed to us that no one from the FBiH Government visited them, only to take photos after a part of the railway line was repaired. That's all.

The reason we are protesting is the catastrophic situation in which the residents of Donja Jablanica, as well as the surroundings of Fojnica and Konjic, have been placed. The situation in Donja Jablanica is devastating," they emphasize.

They note that five months have passed since the disaster that struck these areas, and they find it particularly concerning that houses have not yet been built for the residents of these areas, and there is a possibility of further landslides and floods.

"Not only have houses not been built, but the situation in the makeshift container settlement in Donja Jablanica is shameful. During our visit, we found unlivable conditions such as dilapidated beds, and the space itself is not adequately and well-equipped for a life worthy of a human being.

The authorities have not visited these people. We remind the public that we, the informal student group 'Hoće l' ta promjena', along with all our colleagues from faculties in Sarajevo, as well as other faculties in Bosnia and Herzegovina, are demanding a reaction from the authorities so that the residents of these areas can finally live as they deserve," states this informal student group.

They remind that in October 2024, 29 people, including two unborn babies, lost their lives in the floods that hit the surroundings of Jablanica, Konjic, and Fojnica.

Five months have passed, and no one has yet been held accountable for the deaths of 29 people. An investigation has not even been initiated; only pre-investigative actions are underway, which have exceeded their legal deadline.

"The Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Prosecutor's Office announced that the expert report for the quarry in Jablanica would be submitted by the end of February this year. This did not happen. We demand information on why it did not happen and request that the public be informed about the investigation in this case.

No one has been held accountable for the existence of the quarry that killed 19 people in Donja Jablanica. No one has been held accountable for the absence of a forest law in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton and the FBiH – illegal logging has been carried out for years, contributing to landslides in the flooded areas. No one has been held accountable for construction and reconstruction on torrential rivers," the organizers stated.

These are the students' demands:

• Urgent initiation of investigations and urgent filing of indictments against responsible persons;

• Urgent public information on all actions taken by competent services, bodies, and institutions regarding the deaths of 29 citizens;

• Criminal prosecution of all responsible for the operation of the illegal quarry that caused the deaths of 19 people in Donja Jablanica;

• Criminal prosecution of those responsible within competent bodies, services, and institutions who failed to act preventatively and prevent the deaths of 29 people in the floods of October 2024;

• Review of all quarries and other ecologically dangerous projects that pose a future threat to human lives throughout BiH;

• Harmonization of all spatial plans with landslide maps and torrential river maps throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina to prevent a repeat of Jablanica, Konjic, and Fojnica;

• Publication of data on collected aid and public disclosure of the expenditure of all funds from both the Federation budget and donations received for all flooded areas from October 2024;

• Publicly announce plans and dynamics for the reconstruction of flooded areas.

They noted that banners with content that incites or promotes armed conflict or the use of violence, national, racial, religious, or other hatred will be removed, along with the individuals who brought them.