Contact person appointed at the District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Trebinje for LGBTI victims of hate crimes

Our efforts to sensitize the judiciary and educate legal experts on the rights of LGBTI persons have resulted in the appointment of another contact person in the prosecution to work with LGBTI victims of hate crimes. Dino Redžović, District Public Prosecutor at the District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Trebinje, will be the contact person for all LGBTI persons who need help reporting hate crimes based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

The idea of appointing a contact person – a prosecutor in charge of receiving reports from LGBTI persons in Trebinje, arose as a result of SOC’s collaboration with CJPT Republika Srpska (Centre for Judicial and Prosecutorial Training), which included in its program and conducted training on the topic of crimes committed out of prejudice based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity, as well as hate crimes against LGBTI persons.

So far, contact persons have been appointed in Sarajevo Canton and Tuzla Canton, and with the appointment of Prosecutor Redžović, the first such collaboration with prosecutor’s offices in the Republika Srpska has been established. On that occasion, we had a brief talk with Prosecutor Redžović.

Has the District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Trebinje previously worked on cases involving crimes committed out of prejudice based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity?

The District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Trebinje has not previously worked on cases involving crimes committed out of prejudice based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

Why do you think it is important to appoint a contact person before the District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Trebinje who will be in charge of receiving reports of incidents and hate crimes against LGBTI persons?

Considering that, according to the information I have, several cantonal prosecutor’s offices in the Federation of BiH have successfully appointed a contact person in charge of receiving reports of incidents and hate crimes against LGBTI persons, and that this has not yet occurred in the Republika Srpska, I believe it is extremely important that the District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Trebinje is the first prosecutor’s office in Republika Srpska to appoint a contact person to whom members of the LGBTI community may report all incidents, including hate crimes, without fear. Despite the fact that every citizen in our country is legally guaranteed legal and criminal protection from violence, the appointment of a contact person will allow direct access to a judicial office holder who is sensitized and primarily trained to work with LGBTI persons. This approach will break down the barrier of fear and mistrust toward prosecutor’s offices and police, and will instil confidence in community members to report crimes committed out of prejudice based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity more frequently, which will automatically lead to the punishment of the perpetrators of such crimes, and will undoubtedly contribute to special prevention.

Do you believe that legal experts in BiH are properly educated on LGBTI issues?

Legal experts in BiH have had the opportunity to get additional education on LGBTI issues over the last ten years, thanks to the involvement of non-governmental organisations and centres such as the Sarajevo Open Centre (SOC). Nonetheless, I believe that it is vital to regularly educate lawyers on this issue because legal norms are changing and adjusting to life, implying that education on the LGBTI community issues is a lifelong process.

Do you believe that the training on hate crimes against LGBTI persons was useful for you and your colleagues?

Training on hate crimes against LGBTI persons was extremely useful for me as a District Public Prosecutor, as evidenced by the implementation of my initiative to appoint a contact person at the District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Trebinje in charge of receiving reports of incidents and hate crimes against LGBTI persons. As previously, I will gladly continue to pass on the knowledge I have gained to my colleagues. I would especially like to thank Žarko Milić, the Chief District Public Prosecutor of the District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Trebinje, for allowing me to attend the aforementioned training and appointing me as contact prosecutor in hate crime cases based on sexual orientation or gender identity.