Our fellow friend, Besima Borić, a well-known tireless activist for women’s rights in the region, found herself in the situation of being sued for defamation, with a request for large financial compensation, by a person who is suspected of domestic violence, who has two court restraining orders for approaching the victim and who is accused by his ex-wife of domestic violence.[1] Besima publicly opposed the appointment of such a person to the position of minister in the CS Government. Thereby she defended her political, activist, moral and law-based position that preventing violence against women is the duty of every citizen and society as a whole, it was stated in a press release from the Feminist Anti-Fascist Network (FAMa).
We remind Minister Kenan Magoda that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a signatory to several international conventions that protect and promote women’s rights, that since 2003 we have had the Law on Gender Equality, that we were among the first countries in the region to adopt the Action Plan for the Implementation of UNSCR full title 1325 (2010) and among the first five countries that ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (better known as the Istanbul Convention)[2], the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.[3] These are all documents that oblige our state to consistently implement them and improve the protection of women’s rights, which our fellow friend Besima Borić tried to point out when she publicly opposed the appointment of Kenan Magoda as minister, whom his ex-wife also openly accused of domestic violence and later gave it up under pressure.
This defamation lawsuit is a clear example of how people in positions of power use their political and economic supremacy to slander us with baseless accusations, burden us with unnecessary litigation costs, drain our energy, waste our time, and threaten our peace of mind and health. With this, they try to distract us from the fight to prevent and punish violence against women and girls, not only in the family but also in every other place.
We remind Minister Kenan Magoda that persons who perform public functions, especially ministerial ones, must accept public criticism and questioning, and that it is our right to know that the minister, in charge of the Department of Culture and Sports in the Sarajevo Canton Government, is the person to whom the Municipal Court in Sarajevo imposed restraining measure regarding harassment, stalking and approaching a victim of domestic violence.
By initiating a lawsuit for defamation, Minister Kenan Magoda decided to use repressive methods used by those who want to silence critical voices and sends a message to citizens that they can be sanctioned for criticizing elected officials, which is contrary to the democratic foundations on which our society rests.
Besima’s case will be heard in court on May 20, 2024. She is not alone. Socially active women from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region stand with her in solidarity, in the hope that it will be shown that the judiciary in BiH prevents such tactics and that they cost dearly to all those who think they will scare us and stop us.
Violence must not pass!
We sign this message, FAMa points out in press release, and deliver it to the general public as well as to the competent authorities in Canton Sarajevo in BiH and send unreserved support and solidarity to our fellow friend Besima Borić.
Organizations, networks, individuals:
1. FAMa – The Feminist Anti-Fascist Network has 120 prominent female human rights defenders in the region,
2. AC Sharp Zero,
3. Workers’ Solidarity in BiH,
4. Foundation Atelier for Community Transformation– ACT,
5. Centre for Youth KVART Prijedor,
6. Helsinki Citizens‘ Assembly Banjaluka,
7. Foundation CURE,
8. RWA Better Future of the City of Tuzla
9. Association Women’s Vision
10. Initiative Women Citizens for Constitutional Reform
11. Foundation Infohouse,
12. Sarajevo Open Center
13. Women’s Network
14. Women’s Platform for the Development of Serbia
15. Women Leadership Academy Belgrade
16. Centre of Modern Skills Belgrade
17. Women’s Support Center Kikinda
18. Center for Democracy Foundation Belgrade
19. Women’s Research Center Niš
20. Foundation BFPE for a Responsible Society
21. Democratic Dialogue Network
22. FemPlatz
23. NGO Women’s Studies and Research
Individuals:
1. Tamara Miščević,
2. Nemanja Tubonjić,
3. Erduan Katana,
4. Gordana Katana,
5. Milica Pralica,
6. Zlatiborka Popov-Momčinović,
7. Suada Hadžović,
8. Lejla Kusturica,
9. Sunčica Kovačević,
10. Sara Tuševljak,
11. Amani Hrković,
12. Azra Berbić,
13. Dzenana Alađuz,
14. Ifeta Česir – Škoro,
15. Jadranka Miličević
16. Saša Vasić,
17. Aida Koluder – Agić,
18. Anesa Karaselimović
19. Maida Zagorac
20. Larisa Kovačević
21. Delila Hasanbegović Vukas
22. Danka Zelić
23. Indira Bajramović
24. Alma Midžić
25. Varja Nikolić
26. Marija Srdić
27. Rada Gujaničić
28. Tamar Milanović
29. Sofija Mandić
30. Vera Kurtić
31. Prof. dr Nevena Petrušić
32. Zorana Antonijević
33. Prof. dr Smiljana Milinkov
34. Nađa Duhaček
35. Prof. Dr Zorica Mršević
36. Marija Peternel
37. Sonja Liht
38. Dr Tatjana Nikolić
39. prof dr Marijana Pajvančić
40. Dragoslava Bazut
41.Tamara Tripić
42. Prof. dr Andriana Zaharijević
43. Dr Kosana Beker
44. Prof. dr Marija Babović
45. Nadežda Satarić
46. Aida Ćorović
47. Ana Popovicki
48. Danica Todorov
49. Dr Sonja Stojanović Gajić
50. Prof. dr emerita Svenka Savić
51. Prof. dr Nataša Gospić
52. Prof. dr Fuada Stanković
53. mr Maja Sedlarević
54. Biljana Maletin
55. Tamara Srijemac
56. Maja Bjeloš
57. Kina Trajković
58. Jana Beč
59. Savo Đurđić
60. Alisa Kockar
61. Miloš Đajić
62. Magdalena Rašković
63. Nađa Bobičić
64. Milica Ranđelović
65. Aleksandra Jevtić
66. Sonja Lokar
[1]https://www.fokus.ba/vijesti/bih/kako-je-besima-boric-ponovo-uplasila-ministra-magodu/2700180/
[2] On July 27, 2013, the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted a decision on the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. With this, Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with Albania, Montenegro, Portugal and Turkey, became the fifth member of the Council of Europe to ratify the Istanbul Convention.
[3]https://www.echr.coe.int/documents/d/echr/convention_bos
Photo: Courtesy photo from FAMa
