BiH Minister of Security Radončić announced a lawsuit against IFIMES

PRESS RELEASE

BiH MINISTER OF SECURITY RADONČIĆ ANNOUNCED A LAWSUIT AGAINST IFIMES

LJUBLJANA, 1 August 2013 – Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina Fahrudin Radončić has announced that he would bring a lawsuit for alleged defamation against the International Institute for Middle-East and Balkan studies (IFIMES) from Ljubljana, Slovenia.

The reasons for the announced lawsuit are the analyses and researches (“BiH: Apprehensions related to tectonic changes on the political scene” of 30 July 2013, link: http://www.ifimes.org/en/researches/bih-apprehensions-related-to-tectonic-changes-on-the-political-scene-2013-08-05/) published by IFIMES, that have among other investigated Minister Radončić's activities and his relations with the criminal structures in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region. The subject of IFIMES's analyses are also Radončić's relations with Iran and the financing of his media project “Avaz”.

It would be probably of greater interest for the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina if Radončić explained his connections with Iran. It would be even better if he explained to American agencies his connections with Iran as well as his relations with certain individuals from the criminal circles.

The citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina deserve Radončić's answers regarding the persons he met and the places where he met them as well as the intelligence services he asked to support his election as the minister of security in return for which he offered them an insight and access to his country's whole security system. This is a unique case of a functionary employed to protect the security of his country while cooperating with a foreign intelligence service.

The extent of Minister Radončić's sensibility is illustrated by the amount of his claim which is EUR 100,000 EUR. Another paradox is that he intends to bring the lawsuit before the Municipal Court of Sarajevo, ignoring the fact that IFIMES is a legal entity of public law of the Republic of Slovenia and as such does not fall within the competence of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Municipal Court of Sarajevo. The IFIMES Institute is looking forward to this lawsuit which will be an opportunity to present new evidence and facts in the “Radončić case”.

We sincerely hope that Minister Radončić will gather sufficient medical documents in order to prove that IFIMES's analyses and researches have affected him negatively, on the basis of which it can be determined that he is a sensitive and unstable person that is not medically capable of performing the function of security minister.

The obscurantist nature of his character is illustrated by his announcement that he would address Slovenian state authorities and security services regarding IFIMES's activities. This confirms the fact that Radončić represent recidivism of the past practices with limited democratic capacity. Radončić will face a stern test at the next election when it will be the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina who will decide about his merits regardless of his boasting about having passed some “tests” and received some “security certificates” through his friendly connections.

We would like to inform the public of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region that we will strengthen our presence in BiH and the region and continue investigating the Radončić case as well as other individuals that are in our opinion not suitable for performing public functions, especially that of the security minister.

We call upon the leading foreign security agencies and competent ministries of other countries to distance themselves from Minister Radončić, whose true character will be revealed sooner or later.

Ljubljana, August 1, 2013