Enforced disappearances in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Enforced disappearances: Bosnia and Herzegovina must implement the UN Human Rights Committee’s Views in Case Prutina et al. vs. BiH says TRIAL.
Fikret Prutina, Huso and Nedžad Zlatarac, Safet Kozica, and Salih Čekić, were subjected to enforced disappearance in June 1992. Their fate and whereabouts remain unknown to date, while not all those responsible for the crimes concerned have been prosecuted and sanctioned.
The HRC delivered its views on this case 28 March 2013, finding several violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Committee affirmed that BiH is under an obligation to consider the twelve relatives of the missing persons by:
• providing remedy, establishing the fate and whereabouts of the five missing men;
• continuing bringing to justice those responsible for their disappearance by the end of 2015;
• abolishing the obligation for family members to declare their missing relatives dead to benefit from social allowances;
• paying an adequate compensation.
- See TRIAL former News update (18.06.2013) on these cases.
“The prompt implementation of the recommendations on the Prutina, Zlatarac, Kozica and Čekić cases is tantamount to restoring citizens’ trust towards authorities and ensuring truth, justice and redress to people who have been struggling for them over the past twenty years” said Adrijana Hanusić, TRIAL Legal Advisor in BiH.
On 27 November 2013 TRIAL reported to the HRC on these cases, on behalf of the relatives of the five missing men, noting that there has been little progress on the case since then:
• A trial against one alleged perpetrator of the crimes is ongoing before the Court of BiH
• The amendment of the federal legislation concerning the obligation for family members to declare their missing relatives dead to benefit from social allowances is under consideration,
But the fate and whereabouts of the five men remain unknown and none of the relatives of the disappeared persons has obtained adequate compensation for the harm suffered.
“We will continue monitoring the enforcement phase and we will report to the HRC in six months, so that it remains seized of the matter until BiH implements its international obligations“, added Adrijana Hanusić.
