BOSNIA - DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST VIOLENT CRIME

UNCLAS SARAJEVO 000290

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KCRM BK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA - DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST VIOLENT CRIME


Summary
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1. (U) The February 5 murder of a youth by other juveniles on
a Sarajevo tram has focused popular attention on the
perception of a growing problem with violent juvenile crime
in Bosnia. The murder follows on the heels of other high
profile crimes committed by minors including the deliberate
immolation of an elderly Serb woman by Roma juveniles. An
apparently spontaneous demonstration of Sarajevo residence
took place on February 9, demanding that Canton authorities
take action to address the problem of youth violence.
Protests continued on February 13 demanding the resignations
of the Sarajevo Mayor and Canton Prime Minister. This marks
the first large scale civic action in Sarajevo recent memory
and took place without organization by a political party.
Some Serb and Croat political leaders have cynically
attempted to characterize the attacks as ethnically based in
order to demonstrate that minorities are still vulnerable in
Sarajevo. To date these assertions have not resonated with
the general public, which has instead focused on the rule of
law and the inadequacies of the juvenile justice system. End
Summary.

Mrnjavac Murder
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2. (U) On February 5 seventeen-year-old Sarajevo citizen
Denis Mrnjavac was murdered on a full tram during the evening
commute. In a seemingly unprovoked attack Mrnjavac was
beaten and stabbed by three high school students. The third
violent crime in Sarajevo over the past two months
perpetrated by minors, Mrnjavac,s death has sparked
widespread outrage and frustration over juvenile crime, lax
juvenile criminal statutes and the lack of juvenile detention
facilities. Cantonal and municipal authorities, as well as
the judiciary, have faced harsh media criticism for their
failure to adequately react to, and prevent, what the public
perceives as a rise in juvenile crime.

Sarajevo Protests
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3. (U) On Saturday February 9, thousands of citizens gathered
in downtown Sarajevo to protest the murder of Mrnjavac, and
the inadequacies of the juvenile court system. The
demonstration, which developed relatively spontaneously, came
in response to calls by a radio station and several local
NGOs, to sign a petition demanding that the Sarajevo Canton
Government respond to juvenile delinquency. The petition
evolved into a peaceful march, which press reports estimated
at a few thousand participants, stopping traffic as it headed
to the buildings of the Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecutor's
Office, the Cantonal Court, the Cantonal Government building,
and the Federation Presidency.


4. (U) The protest happened in conjunction with an
extraordinary session of the Sarajevo Cantonal Assembly,
during which the cantonal Ministry of Interior officials
discussed recent high profile crimes involving the youth
population. Additional protests took place February 13, in
which demonstrators reportedly demanded the resignations of
the Sarajevo Mayor and Sarajevo Canton Prime Minister,
because of their lack of initiative regarding crime
prevention. In an action that has generated widespread
popular derision, state House of Representatives delegates
voted for an early adjournment of the February 13
parliamentary session in order to join the protests against
the Canton and municipal governments.


5. (U) The Federation Criminal Code currently contains no
separate provisions for juvenile offenders, in effect
exempting minors under sixteen from prosecution and
imprisonment. There are also no entity and state juvenile
detention facilities. Demonstrations emphasized these
inadequacies and demanded the amendment of the criminal code,
the establishment of a special prosecution system for minors,
and the construction of a juvenile correction facility.

Political Reactions
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6. (U) Reactions to the protests by political leaders have
been mixed. Federation Vice-President Mirsad Kebo (SDA),
Presidency Chair Zeljko Komsic (SDP) and Sarajevo Cantonal
Assembly Speaker Denis Zvizdic (SDA) took part in the
rallies. Zvizdic stated that the Cantonal Assembly will
initiate an amendment to current legislation demanding the
establishment of a special department for juvenile crimes
within the cantonal Prosecutor's Office. Federation House of
Peoples Croat Caucus MP Lidija Bradara (HDZ) proposed that
the Federation Parliament vote on a resolution that refers to
the consequent actions in case of violence among hildren and
youth, while also supporting the estblishment of a
Prosecutor's Office for Juveniles nd other institutions that
would aid in the re-scialization of convicted minors.
Sarajevo Mayor Semiha Borovac claimed to have no legal
authority over municipal security matters, and to be unable
to address the protesters grievances.

Ethnic Interests Attempt to Capitalize
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7. (U) Certain media outlets have attempted to portray recent
juvenile crimes in ethnic terms. Croat outlets such as Nova
TV have suggested that Mrnjavac, who was the son of a Croat
woman, was attacked because of his ethnicity. The January 22
murder of 72-year old Sarajevo Serb Ljubica Spasojevic by a
group of Roma minors similarly elicited a statement by SNSD
party headquarters that the attack demonstrates that Serbs
are not safe in Sarajevo. To date, these unfortunate
attempts to politicize the murders have not resonated with
the general public, which has instead channeled its
frustration towards government officials. The protests in
Sarajevo have been multi-ethnic and pan-generational.

Comment
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8. (SBU) The protests are significant as an unusual
manifestation of public demands for the accountability of
government officials. The spontaneity of the demonstrations
is also notable, as is the fact that they were not directed
by, or used to advance, the agendas of political parties.
These factors suggest that the protests are the expression of
a groundswell of public frustration with law and order
issues, and build upon a general perception of deterioration
in basic services in Sarajevo. Similar popular frustration
erupted earlier this year in relation to Sarajevo,s
organized crime problems, which resulted in a large-scale
roundup of mafia bosses. It is encouraging that most
citizens, in the Federation at least, have rejected attempts
to link the incidents to ethnic motives. We do not
anticipate that the protests will grow significantly or spill
over into other areas, but recent developments suggest that
the Sarajevo electorate is growing less willing to accept
substandard governance. End Comment.
ENGLISH