Murder of Sarajevo Police Officers: Until the Next Case

The investigation, led by two prosecutors from the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office into the murder of two Sarajevo police officers, Adis Šehović and Davor Vujinović, has entered its tenth month without any results.

"The investigation is ongoing," said Azra Bavčić, spokesperson for the KS Prosecutor's Office.

All investigative actions are carried out under the supervision of the KS Prosecutor's Office. Miloš Obradov and Srećko Trifković, previously convicted of car theft, have been in custody for months. The case of the murdered police officers is linked to car theft gangs, as a Golf VI with Croatian license plates was attempted to be stolen in the immediate vicinity. Šehović and Vujinović encountered a group of car thieves and lost their lives in the most brutal manner.
The third arrested individual, Slaven Dakić, is accused of stealing a jeep in September 2018. He is no longer linked to the murder of the Sarajevo police officers.

Trifković was in custody until almost the end of July, after which he was released from custody because the reasons for his further extension had expired. After being released from the Zenica Penitentiary, he was arrested by members of the MUP RS. Trifković is linked to the murder of Damir Ostojić in September 2018. Miloš Obradov, who is in custody, is also involved in that case. The Cantonal Court in Sarajevo extended his custody for another three months at the end of May.  

"Custody was extended due to the risk that the suspect, if at liberty, could influence witnesses, conceal evidence, and due to the risk of re-offending and the risk that the suspect's release could cause public unrest," confirmed the spokesperson for the KS Prosecutor's Office, Azra Bavčić, at the end of May.

However, the public is not calm even after Obradov's custody was extended and Trifković was taken into custody in the case of Damir Ostojić's murder. The public rightfully asks if the murderers of the Sarajevo police officers will ever be discovered?

The case that shocked Sarajevo on October 26, 2018, mobilized all police agencies, and highlighted the need for additional cooperation among entity MUPs, has not yet reached its conclusion.
The Police Directorate of the MUP KS remains silent, the Trade Union is silent, and family members are not speaking out either. It is as if they think or know that the death of their colleagues and loved ones will remain a mystery.
Few are willing to speak publicly about the murder of the Sarajevo police officers. However, the real question is whether there is anything to talk about.

How is it possible that with so many police agencies that should respond to all security challenges, we are met with only a wall of silence. Does this mean that BiH and Sarajevo, as the capital city, cannot tackle organized crime or groups that do not shy away from the brutal murder of police officers. What, then, should citizens expect? Who will protect them?

If we recall the first days after the murder, numerous reactions emphasized that an attack on police officers is an attack on the state. If the state is attacked, shouldn't state institutions protect it? Why has the murder case not been taken over by the BiH Prosecutor's Office to date? Especially considering that two suspects linked to the murder of Šehović and Vujinović are from the Republika Srpska, where the KS Prosecutor's Office has no jurisdiction.

Not even the arrival of the new Chief Prosecutor of KS, Sabina Sarajlija, has brought any progress in this case. Perhaps it would be most honorable for her to come out and say: "We cannot do this." At least we would remember her for something.

But the question is, can anyone? If not, then it is a painful truth that means we, as a society, are completely powerless to fight criminals, and if we can - then why isn't it being done?
Should every police officer, citizen, or anyone of us fear going out on the street, fearing the same fate as the two Sarajevo police officers who were performing their honorable duty?
Even those who would have something to say claim they will remain silent for now. And as time passes and they remain silent, everything falls into oblivion. Until the next case, God forbid.