Protest march held in Mostar after the murder of Aldina Jahić: Stop femicide!

(Patria) - Due to the murder of Aldina Jahić, a protest march was held in Mostar today, starting at 12:05 PM. Participants included acquaintances of the murdered girl, as well as numerous activists and representatives of associations, and citizens of Mostar. Organizers stated that the march aims to clearly emphasize that the murder of Aldina Jahić in Mostar must not go unpunished.

Those gathered called on system institutions to do their job and implement laws to the best of their ability. They highlighted the importance of safety, justice, and peace, as well as the general protection of women in Bosnian society, especially given the frequent crimes against women—namely femicides.

Carrying banners calling for an end to femicide and questioning Mayor Mario Kordić whether this Mostar is safe, they marched from Spanish Square through the city, along with numerous other messages.

Today's gathering was also attended by Ifeta Ćesir - Škoro from the Citizens' Initiative of Mostar, which organized the protest. She also recalled another murder that occurred in Mostar, that of Ines Žmiro at the end of last year.

"It is devastating that the femicide happened in the city center and that the victims had no chance of receiving help. If there had been a timely response, both would certainly be alive. I am speaking especially for Aldina because she sought help, saying 'he has a gun.' She was in danger, but we have become apathetic, to the point where we are no longer touched by others' concerns," she said.

She recalled the monstrous murder of Nizama Hećimović in Gradačac in 2023, noting that much has been done in this area, including the legal definition of femicide, but that by-laws were only supposed to be adopted in the near future. Regardless, she added, effective action could have been taken in a different way.

"Some things can never be prevented, but I am sure that if we work continuously—institutions, NGOs, citizens, and others—we will be able to improve some things. This new law is somewhat better than previous ones, and I hope it will be further refined because violence is moving into the online sphere," she emphasized.

Citizens are wondering how it is that no one noticed Aldina Jahić running from the bus station in the center of Mostar to escape an armed man, and consequently did not react to save her.

It is known that Aldina did not officially report the suspect Anis Kalajdžić to the police, but she consulted with them and was allegedly told not to file a report yet.

Also, information emerged in the public that Anis Kalajdžić was waiting for a hearing in another case where he was reported for endangering the safety of another female person.

However, while waiting for the hearing, no restraining measures were imposed on him, and during that period, he unfortunately killed another girl.

"It is very difficult to make such an assessment because what we know is chaotic. There are various stories, but based on what we heard from witnesses of the event, it could have been prevented. She was running and calling for help. It is not easy to confront an armed man, but they could have somehow moved Aldina out of the way. I think we need to have a register of abusers and frequently remind them that they are under our control," she said.

Citizens arrived in front of the Ministry of Interior of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, wanting to remind them to monitor their actions.

"We are not against them, we just want to react together," she added.

(N1/Patria)