Student protests in Sarajevo, scheduled for Monday (February 10th), are an expression of dissatisfaction with the "lack of responsibility" of the relevant institutions following the floods and landslides that hit northern Herzegovina and parts of central Bosnia last year.
As a result of the disaster, 27 people lost their lives, with the majority of victims (19) from Donja Jablanica.
Protest organizers, including informal groups such as "Justice for the Victims of Jablanica" and "Do You Want a Change?", emphasize that the competent institutions have not taken concrete steps towards determining responsibility for this tragedy.
Amir Čaušević, a student at Džemal Bijedić University, points out that Mostar students have shown solidarity since the first day of the accident and are now demanding justice. "We were on the ground, we volunteered, we helped people, and now it is logical to support the protests," Čaušević told Avaz.
Systemic problems and social context
Among the key demands of the protest are the urgent launch of investigations, the filing of indictments against those responsible, an audit of quarries and other environmentally dangerous projects, and transparency in the distribution of aid.
The floods in Jablanica were not an isolated incident. Back in 2014, floods in BiH claimed 21 lives.
Quarries, illegal logging, and uncontrolled construction on torrential rivers are chronic problems in BiH, and the lack of forest laws in the Federation of BiH and the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton further contributes to ecological disasters.
Imran Pašalić, president of the Student Parliament of the University of Sarajevo, says: "We have invited all students to join the protests. We are not only demanding justice for the victims, but also accountability for the institutions that failed to protect citizens."
Echoes of Serbian protests
One of the most poignant testimonies comes from Hanadi Maslo from Donja Jablanica, who lost her baby in the floods in her eighth month of pregnancy.
"We didn't get any help. Four months later, the situation is the same. Zero points," Maslo told N1.
Adi Selman, an activist of "Karton Revolution", believes that people in BiH are ready to express their dissatisfaction in the form of protests.
"The student demonstrations in Serbia are an encouraging example. We believe that the time has finally come for our citizens to become aware of their rights and power and to organize their opposition to injustice," Selman tells DW.
Student demonstrations in Serbia have reverberated in the region, mostly as an expression of support.
In early February, rallies were held in Croatia in Zagreb, Split, and Osijek where citizens paid tribute to those killed in the collapse of a canopy at the Novi Sad train station.
There were also rallies in BiH. Students and pupils gathered in Banja Luka on Saturday (February 8th). They expressed support for students in Serbia who have been protesting for months, demanding political and criminal responsibility for the tragedy in Novi Sad that killed 15 people.
Everything is getting "more complicated" in BiH
Banja Luka psychologist Srđan Puhalo believes that there are many reasons for citizens' dissatisfaction in BiH, but that the problem lies in organizing protests that would gather broader social support.
He cites last year's floods as an example, emphasizing that this is not only a consequence of a natural disaster, but also human negligence and potential corruption.
"We have as many reasons for dissatisfaction as you want, but Bosnia and Herzegovina is much more complicated than Serbia and Croatia, so it is difficult to organize a unified protest," Puhalo told the Oslobođenje television platform. According to him, ethnic divisions maintained by political elites further complicate solidarity among citizens.
He points out that in BiH it is not even clear which government to protest against, given the complexity of the political system: "We have ten cantons, two entities, the Brčko District and the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina - who should be removed from power there?"
Although "ethno-nationalists" have been trying for decades to prevent collective civil disobedience or public expression of dissatisfaction, Adi Selman believes that this practice is finally coming to an end.
"Ethnonationalism is in retreat, because young people have become aware that three nationalist groups and masked 'liberals' have been dividing and deceiving us for thirty years in order to more easily rob us," says Selman.
Students "the driving force of change"
That is why, as he points out, the protest in Sarajevo on Monday will be "a protest of all citizens of BiH."
"The time has come for all of us, citizens of BiH, regardless of our name or where we come from, to organize ourselves to oppose injustice and fight for our survival and future in this region," Selman concludes.
He is convinced that students in BiH can be the "driving force of change." "This has already been proven through the internet and 'digital activism,' and now it's time to move everything to the streets of our cities," DW's interlocutor points out.
"The fact is that three months after the tragedy in Jablanica, Buturović Polje, Fojnica and other parts of BiH, the institutions have done absolutely nothing regarding criminal responsibility," says Selman.
The Prosecutor's Office of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton states that pre-investigation activities are ongoing, but so far no one has been called for an information interview, the media reports.
Students and citizens are therefore taking to the streets with a clear demand - accountability and justice for the victims.
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