Victims' associations appeal to High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council over entity pressure on Srebrenica Memorial Centre

The associations emphasized that the Srebrenica Memorial Centre is a state institution whose operations fall under the legal framework and jurisdiction of the state-level authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In their request, they stated it is unacceptable for a state institution of historic and moral significance to face obstructions from entity authorities whose political and institutional leadership openly denies the genocide and continuously attempts to discredit the facility.

They requested the HJPC and the Office of the Disciplinary Counsel suspend or recuse the acting prosecutor, review the entity prosecutor's actions, urgently transfer the case to the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and safeguard the integrity of state institutions. Furthermore, they urged authorities to examine potential jurisdictional overreach, bias, and political influence that undermines the judicial system and causes distress among genocide survivors.

Murat Tahirovic, President of the Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide, told Detektor that if suspicions exist, the case should be handled strictly by the Prosecutor's Office of BiH and the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), firmly rejecting any involvement by the Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior.

The HJPC confirmed to Detektor that it received the official submission on 5 October, requesting urgent action and the transfer of the case to the state prosecutor's office, noting that the Office of the Disciplinary Counsel was informed. However, the HJPC clarified that under the Law on the HJPC, it lacks the legal authority to interfere in individual cases managed by the Disciplinary Counsel or the District Public Prosecutor's Office in Bijeljina, as doing so could compromise their independence.

Additionally, five victims' associations dispatched a letter to the High Representative and the Peace Implementation Council (PIC), demanding an explicit condemnation of entity attempts to usurp jurisdiction over the Potočari institution. In late September, Srebrenica Memorial Centre Director Emir Suljagic warned of potential police raids to seize documentation, an act legal experts previously surveyed by Detektor described as an effort to discredit the institution, maintaining that the State Prosecutor's Office should assume control to guarantee objectivity.