Srebrenica administration official Faruk Djozic to appeal dismissal over post about Mladic's death

Djozic was dismissed following a request by associations representing families of captured and fallen soldiers and missing civilians over his social media post about the death of Ratko Mladic, a convicted war criminal whose sentence is final. The dismissal was justified on the grounds that his posts were, as stated, inappropriate and offensive.

For Djozic, his social media post was not an attack on the Serb people, but a reaction to the public glorification of war criminals, particularly in Republika Srpska.

“I can freely say that this is political persecution, because I am a lawyer and I know what kind of decision has been made and that it has nothing to do with law or legislation. On the other hand, this is an attempt to discipline Bosniaks here in Srebrenica. Ultimately, I will not apologize for my position on convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic,” Djozic said.

He maintains that his post did not insult Serb victims or the Serb people, contrary to claims made by some councilors during the session.

“I have been living in Srebrenica for 15 years, and there has not been a single incident, not even the slightest interethnic incident. Now someone is imputing to me that I am calling out or insulting Serb victims, and I will certainly not allow that. I spoke about a convicted war criminal, and I do not believe I would change my position even if I could turn back time,” Djozic said.

Hamdija Fejzic, Deputy Mayor of Srebrenica, believes the Assembly's decision sends a message that Bosniaks do not have the same rights as other citizens.

“We do not expect a reaction from higher-level institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, because this is not the first time that dismissals targeting Bosniaks have taken place. I have been dismissed at least three times in similar circumstances, and no one was able to do anything. We do not expect much from the international community either, as it has so far failed to show that it will react when such things happen,” Fejzic said.

According to him, Djozic's dismissal also raises the question of protecting the fundamental rights of returnees in a community particularly sensitive because of its wartime past.

“If we now have a situation in which Mladic is protected and Djozic is dismissed, then the question is what kind of society we are. Not only what kind of society, but what kind of state we have when no one can intervene when fundamental human rights are violated,” Fejzic added.

Serb councilors in the Assembly have presented the dismissal as a response to what they describe as an insult to Serb victims and the Serb people.

“Calling the commander of the Army of Republika Srpska a ‘rotten dog’ was something the Serb people in Srebrenica could not forgive. Faruk Djozic said it in the harshest possible terms,” councilor Milos Milovanovic said.

After the vote, councilor Radomir Pavlovic said the decision should create space for the future, while also addressing wartime suffering through a demand for “equal standards.”

“The message following this decision to dismiss the department head is that we should find a way to move forward, given the demographic collapse Srebrenica has experienced. There are issues on which Serbs and Bosniaks cannot agree, primarily war crimes and wartime suffering. Until the same standards are applied, you will continue to have the same politics in Srebrenica, because Serb victims are not recognized and the suffering of the Serb people continues. That is why the political positions remain unchanged,” Pavlovic said.

Mladic, the former commander of the Main Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2021 in a final ruling for genocide in Srebrenica, persecution of Bosniaks and Croats, terrorizing the civilian population of Sarajevo, and taking UNPROFOR personnel hostage. He died on August 27 in the Detention Unit of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in The Hague. He was buried on September 7 at Topcider Cemetery in Belgrade, in the presence of several thousand citizens, veterans, police officers and members of various right-wing organizations. Officials from Republika Srpska and Serbia attended the memorial service and funeral.

Djozic considers his dismissal a reversal of values, arguing that the open glorification of war criminals goes unpunished and draws no reaction, while Bosniaks face consequences when they speak about convicted war criminals.

“If certain structures have spent years describing the genocide against Bosniaks as ‘fake genocide,’ a ‘false narrative’ or a ‘genocide myth’ without facing sanctions, then the question is why I, as a Bosniak, face sanctions immediately,” he said.

Djozic claims that the dismissal decision does not establish any breach of his work duties and that, in his interpretation, no disciplinary proceedings were conducted as required by the code cited in the decision, apart from making general, unsubstantiated accusations.

“I will continue my fight, especially after this kind of violation, this legal acrobatics and abuse of power. Of course, I will file an appeal, and whatever the outcome, the case will end up in court,” said Djozic, who returned to Srebrenica in 2011.

He said his extended family lost 27 members in the genocide, all of whom are buried at the Potocari Memorial Center.

“When someone dislikes the public position of a person holding public office, they immediately try to discipline that person by seeking their dismissal. I returned to Srebrenica, I live and work here, and I will continue to live here. I am the father of three children, and I have no intention of giving up my life in Srebrenica,” Djozic concluded, BIRN reported.