Dervišević: If there were no reactions, everything would have been covered up

We spoke with Mirza Dervišević on two occasions, in order to prepare this text.

In the first part of the conversation, he said that he hoped that his attackers would be caught quickly.

And then, 10 to 15 minutes later, he excitedly informed us - two were taken into custody!

Since he was attacked from behind in front of his home on August 19th this year, he has lived anything but a normal life. As normal as one journalist could hope to live.

"I expect that my attackers will be identified today or tomorrow.

The police, especially the crime police of Brčko District, are working at full capacity. I witnessed that. On several occasions in the past few days, I have been to the police, gave statements, talked to officials... These people are really doing their job ," said Dervišević in the first part of the interview for the Politicki.ba.

He is the owner of the Times.ba portal based in Brčko.

Five days ago, Dervišević was attacked by still unidentified persons.

One of the attackers approached him from behind and hit him several times on the head with metal brass knuckles.

At the time of the attack, Dervišević's mother was also with him.

Another attack on journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina seems to have spilled an already overflowing glass.

Strong reactions from journalists and journalist associations followed, the media in solidarity gave great publicity to this act of vandalism. And not only those from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also from the entire region - including North Macedonia.

In an interview with Politicki.ba, Dervišević says that he was positively surprised by such further developments.

"Now things are going well.

If fellow journalists had not reacted, as well as journalist associations from the entire region, especially if there had not been a strong intervention by the International Community, I believe that the attack on me would have been covered up, like so many things that have been pushed under the rug here in Brčko for years.

I was in town today too. I can see a lot happening. According to what I heard, the police allegedly took the footage from surveillance cameras both in the area where I live and where I was attacked, but also in the entire city, and I heard that in one of those a car was seen that left the street I described in the time period when the driver managed to escape with the perpetrator of the attack on me.

At that moment, there were no other cars.

So, I expect, and I have indications, that today or tomorrow my attackers will be identified," says Dervišević, speaking for our portal in the first part of the interview.

He also points out that he has knowledge that he has been followed for a long time. As he wrote more about the irregularities in Brčko, as he wrote about Esed Kadić, the president of the local SDA, and the people around him, he "became more and more annoying".

"The attack on me was organized, it was not the work of an individual. They aimed for the attack to happen the moment I got out or got into the car. They watched as I parked my car and made sure that my back was turned when they hit me.

And that happened.

Because the night before, I came home around 3 am. I walked home. When I was attacked the next night, I was using my car. Fortunately, my 2-month-old baby and 3-year-old son were not with me at the time. And I am convinced that they would have attacked me even if I had been with my children," Dervišević continued.

He also tells us that yesterday, all the people he named as those who could be behind the attack were questioned. Before that, he was granted police protection. Brčko policemen are now with him 24 hours a day.

"The cogs have started turning in the police as well as the juidical system. I wish it had been much earlier and that my case had not happened. There are too many attacks on journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Physical ones.

Now I expect that everything will be clarified - that the culprits will be identified and those who ordered the attack on me will be brought to justice. That whole group.

I have stated my doubts and I stand by them. This was a political attack, which was aimed at stopping me, so that I would not disrupt the initiative of the SDA to make the convicted drug dealer the new mayor of Brčko.

I know who is behind the attack.

If you read the last articles on Times.ba, you will see "where the wind blows from". The people I called out in my investigative texts are behind the attack," Dervišević continues.

During the interview for Politicki.ba, he presented a whole series of details of the events in Brčko. Common to all the stories he told us is the arrogance of the officials, the alienation and captivity of institutions that belong to the judicial system, abuse, crime...

Dervišević is surprised, but also encouraged, by the reactions of the public to the attack on him, but also by the operation of the judicial system.

"I am surprised and grateful to all fellow journalists and associations who reacted from all over the region, many thanks to the International Community... After the OHR announcement, all capacities were suddenly harnessed to work and everything was engaged and the process had started.

If it weren't for that, all this would have been covered up, I'm convinced," says our interlocutor.

The outcome of Mirza Dervišević's case may not be an example to be followed in similar events in the future. But it has shown that there is indeed a system and that it just needs to be released in order to work.

The result, in accordance with laws and justice, will not be absent.

Sooner or later!

The article was realized as part of the Transition program of the Government of the Czech Republic and with the financial assistance of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Bosnia and Herzegovina @CzechiainBiH. The content reflects the views of the interlocutors who are the choice of the editorial staff of Politicki.ba and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Czech government.