The film “Stay Safe and Speak Out”, which tells us about the safety of activists, was shown in the Youth Center in Banja Luka, after which a panel discussion was held with the participation of Nina Kreševljaković (Aarhus Center in Bosnia and Herzegovina), Robert Oroz (Eco Association Gotuša, Coalition for the Protection of the Rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina), Tihomir Dakić (Center for Environment) and Sunčica Kovačević, representative of an informal group of citizens (STOP the construction of MHE on the Kasindolska river).
The panel was moderated by Maja Isović Dobrijević, Buka journalist.
Sunčica Kovačević, is one of two young activists, law students (25) from Bosnia and Herzegovina, who spoke publicly about the environmental impact of small hydroelectric power plants on the Kasindolska River and its surroundings and are under pressure from the Belgian company Green Invest and a company in BiH in its owned by BUK d.o.o., which is the owner of a small hydroelectric plant on this river.
A total of 140 organizations and groups from BiH, the region, Europe and the USA sent an open letter to the diplomatic representatives of Belgium, the head of the EU Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and other relevant international institutions to express their concern about the activities of this company and the defamation lawsuit that filed against Sunčica Kovačević and her colleague Sara Tuševljak.
In addition to reviewing this current case, the panelists spoke about their experiences regarding the pressures and attacks they experience due to their activities in the field of environment protection, and about the legal fight against them and, in general, about the state of rights of environmental activists in BiH, which is also shown in the analysis done in 2021.
Mobilization around the issue of environmental protection is becoming an increasingly prominent topic both in BiH and in the entire region. Mobilization usually takes place at the local level and often starts with citizens fighting against the destruction of their environment.
The documentary film “Stay Safe and Speak Out” was filmed in 2021 and produced by the Center for Environment and speaks about these topics. In the film, citizens and environmental activists from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro speak about the problems they have faced.
▪️This activity is supported by the Balkan Civil Society Development Network and with the support of Sida
