Tuzla residents protest over child abuse scandal: We demand justice and accountability

The protest, organised by local activists, began in front of the Home for Children Without Parental Care on Kozaracka Street and continued past the Tuzla Canton Prosecutor’s Office, ending at the Ministry of Interior of Tuzla Canton. Organisers called on all citizens of Tuzla and the canton to join the demonstration and support demands for the resignation of all responsible officials in relevant institutions.

The incident came to light after the arrest of eight suspects on October 30. According to the Prosecutor’s Office of Tuzla Canton, the victims, two girls born in 2009, are under institutional protection and receiving specialised care. The prosecution stressed that any disclosure of their identity or personal details is a serious criminal offence under Article 219a of the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“We call on all media outlets, social media users, and individuals to immediately remove posts or comments that could lead to the identification of the victims,” the Prosecutor’s Office said in its statement, adding that the investigation is being conducted intensively and with the highest priority. “The protection of minor victims is the absolute focus at every stage of the process,” it added.

Following the decision of the Cantonal Court in Tuzla to order one-month detention for all eight suspects, Tuzla Canton Prime Minister Irfan Halilagic publicly addressed the case, describing it as “deeply shocking and devastating.”

“Since the first reports of the arrests, every decent person has been appalled by what we’ve heard,” Halilagic said. “What makes this case particularly disturbing is that the alleged perpetrators include those who should represent the very top of moral and institutional responsibility, police officers and university professors.”

He added that the revelations are harrowing, given that the victims were underage girls from difficult family circumstances, some residing in social care institutions, including the Home for Children Without Parental Care in Tuzla.

Halilagic emphasised that the case has seriously undermined public trust in institutions. “It is devastating to learn that individuals from within the system, so-called ‘respected’ citizens, allegedly used their positions and influence to commit such vile crimes against the most vulnerable members of society,” he stated.

He further noted that one of the suspects had held senior roles in the government’s anti-corruption bodies for years, working with both domestic and international organisations. “It is almost unimaginable that a police officer with such a background could be involved in acts of this nature,” Halilagic said, adding that the same applies to other suspects, public officials and professors of so-called ‘high standing.’

“If proven guilty, these individuals must face the harshest possible punishment. We particularly condemn the involvement of members of the police structure and stress that such people have no place in public institutions,” he concluded.