In the first four and a half months of 2026, the Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office of Sarajevo Canton issued 62 indictments for the criminal offense of domestic violence, while 124 people were charged during the whole of last year, according to data published by this judicial institution.
The Prosecutor’s Office states that from the beginning of the year until May 11, they continuously carried out activities to detect, process and sanction cases of domestic violence, in cooperation with police agencies, centers for social work and other institutions involved in the protection of victims.
During this period, at the proposal of the Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office, the competent court ordered detention for 25 persons suspected of domestic violence. At the same time, prohibition measures and other protective measures were imposed in 29 cases with the aim of preventing further violence and providing protection to the victims.
For the sake of comparison, during the year 2025, detention was ordered for a total of 61 persons, while prohibition measures were issued in 108 cases.
The Prosecutor’s Office points out that special focus is placed on urgent action in cases involving repeated violence, serious threats to the life and safety of victims, as well as on improving inter-institutional cooperation in order to make the protection system more efficient.
Despite the significant number of indictments, a large number of reported cases still end without prosecution, which further indicates the complexity of prosecuting these crimes. According to the KS Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office, the most common reasons for the suspension of proceedings are the lack of evidence or the use of the legal right of injured persons not to testify against the perpetrators.
In the past four and a half months alone, a total of 121 decisions were made in cases of domestic violence – of which 94 were orders not to conduct an investigation and 27 were decisions to suspend the investigation precisely because the victims did not want to testify.
The Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office says that in the coming period, they will continue to act intensively in cases of domestic violence, with the aim of more efficiently protecting victims and prosecuting those responsible.
