Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina live in a regime that is killing its own people, film director and human rights activists Dino Mustafic told N1, adding that the authorities leave no impression the hope is possible.

It is hard to explain why the citizens are silent to all that is happening around them, according to him.

“It is unbelievable that vaccination is not even a top issue. It seems as if people gave up and as if they see that these authorities obviously leave no impression that any hope is possible. What is concerning are the daily summaries, which means that dark days are ahead of Bosnia and Herzegovina and it is simply unbelievable we are top-ranked in the death rate and nobody speaks about it,” Mustafic said commenting on the pandemic and its consequences.

“There were some signs that the epidemic could bring us together like some other disasters. Think of the floods. But, the politicians did not allow that to happen,” he stressed.

Mustafic also warned about the attempts to make the country look like something “unsustainable,” noting that such efforts are coming from Chairman and Serb member of Bosnia's tripartite Presidency Milorad Dodik. But, he also criticised the leaders of the main Bosniak and Croat parties, the SDA and HDZ BiH, who “entitled themselves the right to degrade the institutions of the system.”

“The only progress they made was moving from a restaurant to their parties’ offices,” he added, referring to the meetings the two leaders hold to discuss the issues such as law reforms and formation of authorities but outside the institutions.

“The question is: why are we silent, why are we putting up with this and waiting like sheep for the slaughter. Why are waiting in line, why have we reached this phase? That's the question for the whole nation and something bothering me a lot,” said Mustafic, adding he would never forgive the authorities for their poor work in acquiring the coronavirus vaccine for the Bosnian population.

N1

In his opinion, Bosnia and Herzegovina needs a “cohesion factor” which the country is unable to find on its own but will need the assistance of those “who created this country.”

“I am sure that the Biden Administration will start some things. I don't think we will be on the list of his foreign policy priorities. But he is someone who knows the situation in the Balkans and the only US president who doesn't need advisors for BiH, because things are obvious and clear here,” Mustafic noted.

New people and new policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina need to get a chance “to tell the stories how to live and make a living.”

“The rotting, collapsing may last for generations,” he said but, however, concluded that optimism still exists.

“As long as we work and create. That's the optimism.”