Lawsuit against Strasbourg Court announced due to air pollution in Zenica

ZENICA, (Patria) - About two hundred citizens participated in a protest gathering in the center of Zenica and expressed their dissatisfaction with increased air pollution.

Environmental volunteers Akif Smajlović  and Samir Lemeš, and the organizer of the rally Kenan Madžo addressed the surprisingly small number of gathered citizens, each in their own way pointing out the problems caused by polluted air in this local community, which is a result of the work of numerous industrial production facilities, among which the most significant pollution is emitted daily from the ArcelorMittal production zone. 

Ecologist Akif Smajlović presented his remarks on the insufficient work of state, cantonal, and city services to his fellow citizens, emphasizing that the construction of a new city heating plant will not bring much better solutions, considering that the Coke plant, one of the biggest air polluters, will continue to operate, Zeda reported.

“Bosnia and Herzegovina does not need two coke plants in Lukavac and Zenica, and one should be closed due to toxic benzene,” Smajlović said.

Samir Lemeš, a representative of "Eko forum Zenica", disagreed with the way this protest rally was organized, advocating for all economic facilities in BiH to be used in accordance with European rules and norms.

"You cannot call people to drive industry out of the city, because that is not a solution, and that is why 'Eko forum' cannot stand behind this rally. The solution is not the elimination of industry, but the state must force industry to respect regulations, if it does not do so, then the state violates human rights, and the European Court clearly stated that three days ago in a case from Italy," Lemeš said.

It was announced that all this will not end with just this poorly organized rally, and that a signature collection for filing a lawsuit with the Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg is planned for March.