Women from BiH with Martina: SILENCE DOES NOT PROTECT US!

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - At the carnival in Mostar on February 25, the organizers, under the guise of a carnival celebration, burned a doll with the likeness of Martina Mlinarević Sopta, a writer and ambassador of BiH to the Czech Republic.

"This act in Mostar represents a clear example of misogyny and a violation of human rights because it calls for the murder of a woman, which also constitutes a hate crime. Our society has yet to recognize who its allies are and who its enemies are. We consider Martina Mlinarević Sopta a heroine of our time, and that no person deserves to be metaphorically burned and condemned in public in this way. As part of the media campaign for the celebration of March 8, civil society organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina: Oštra Nula, Radnička solidarnost, eTrafika.net, Centar za životnu sredinu, Helsinški parlament građana Banja Luka, BASOC, Put Pravde, Građanke za ustavne promjene, Centar za mlade KVART, Fondacija Udružene žene Banja Luka, Unsa Geto, Udruženje Amica Educa, Tuzlanski otvoreni centar, Femstil Centar, Sarajevski otvoreni centar, Mreža za izgradnju mira and Youth Movement "Revolt" advocate for breaking the silence and state that everyone should react publicly, point out the problem loudly, and seek help.

We most strongly condemn the burning of the doll with Martina Mlinarević's likeness and demand that the competent institutions in Mostar, in accordance with the law, punish the organizers of the carnival, and condemn and prevent such events," the organizations stated.

We call on the entire public: the academic community, civil society organizations, public figures, and the media to publicly react and condemn this and similar "phenomena" in our society - because SILENCE DOES NOT PROTECT US!