prijava
SARAJEVO, November 27 (FENA) - An MP of Our Party in the FBiH Parliament Sabina Ćudić at a press conference today confirmed that no new caretakers have been sent to the Institute for the Care of Mental-Disabled Children and Youth Pazarić, and no medical examinations and audits have been performed on the diagnosis of residents of the Institute for whom she has already claimed that they have not been adequately taken care of in the past.
In the past seven days, Ćudić stated that have witnessed that the whole focus was on who provided the photo and video materials that show that the beneficiaries of the institute were, among other things, tied to heating radiators.
“The focus was on whistleblowers who uncovered the abuse and not the perpetrators. For this reason, the Our Party caucus in the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament will submit in the parliamentary procedure the draft Law on the Protection of Whistleblowers.
We see that we live in a legal paradox where the Criminal Code imposes penalties for not reporting cases of abuse, while at the same time the legislation offers no protection to those who report it and who are facing political retaliation,” stressed Ćudić.
She added that the legislators in the Parliament should decide whether they want to protect whistleblowers of these crimes or not.
She recalled that last year the Draft Law on the Protection of Whistleblowers was adopted, which "is in no way adequate protection for those who report wider forms of abuse, including child abuse."
“In the coming period, it is for the Prosecution to do its job. I emphasize that the provisions of the Criminal Code stipulate that if you are aware and have witnessed the abuse of children at the Pazarić Institute, you are obliged to report and cooperate with the Prosecutor's Office,” said Ćudić.
She also referred to the latest media reports about the authenticity of photo and video materials and recordings from the Pazarić Institute, which she recently disclosed in the FBiH Parliament.
“I testify to the fact that the footage was made in the past 12 months and I stand behind everything I have said. I also claim that I received these materials 24 hours before I showed them to the public. That is exactly what led us to address the legal framework that allows people to be protected so that they are not threatened and intimidated,” said Ćudić.
She concluded her address by saying that if the credibility of the photos and video material was disputable, certainly, the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina would not have dismissed from their duties the Management, Supervisory Board and Director of the Pazarić Institute.
She said that the FBiH Government should now appoint the acting director of the Institute according to the procedure.
(FENA) S. R.
