Mostar hosts inter-agency co-ordination meeting on migrants issues in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton
The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) organized a co-ordination meeting on March 6 in Mostar to discuss the process of investigation and court proceedings in cases involving representatives of the migrant population who hold the status of victim or suspect. The event was held together with the Prosecutor’s Office of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton.
The meeting gathered representatives of judicial institutions, police and security agencies as well as other governmental and non-governmental organizations.
The purpose of the event was to assess the capacity, practice of work and level of co-ordination amongst all relevant state authorities and institutions that hold jurisdiction for migrant issues on the territory of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. Special consideration was given to the treatment of migrants in accordance with international human rights standards, those already registered as asylum seekers, and those who expressed a wish to claim asylum.
The participants discussed the lack of verified information on the identity of migrants who are involved in judicial proceedings, either as suspects or victims, and ways to overcome challenges faced by the police, the Prosecutor’s Office and the Court.
This meeting was organized as a follow-up meeting to a previous one held in the Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office Mostar in November 2018, which was attended by representatives from the Office for Foreigners’ Affairs – Field Office Mostar and the Police Administration Mostar.
It was noted that significant progress has been made since then with regard to the level of co-ordination amongst the relevant bodies in charge of dealing with migrants. The participants agreed to continue with regular meetings, as trends indicate an increase in the number of migrants coming to BiH in the springtime. The OSCE Mission to BiH will assist the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina to better prepare for the upcoming challenges in this area.