Citizens of Sarajevo today held their seventh large-scale protest following the tragic tram accident in which 23-year-old Erdoan Morankić lost his life, while 17-year-old Ella was seriously injured.
After gathering in front of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, participants walked through several locations in the city, from Sarajevo City Center (SCC), where they paid tribute to the victims, to Skenderija and the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor’s Office. They then proceeded along Tito Street, stopping at the Great Park, where the Memorial to the Murdered Children of Besieged Sarajevo (1992–1995) is located, before returning to their starting point. Protest walks were also organized in several other cities across Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A peer of the injured girl Ella, Daria Marget, wrote a letter appealing for such tragedies never to happen again. Today, she lit a candle and brought a photograph of Erdoan to Freedom Square. With the permission of the author’s mother, the letter reads as follows:
Dear fellow citizens,
We did not gather here today to shout, to spread hatred, or to accuse without evidence.
We are here because we have all been shaken by tragedy, because one young heart no longer beats and because one young life has been forever changed. This is not merely a protest-this is a moment of silence that carries the weight of an entire city. This candle stands for life. This is a message of peace.
But peace does not mean remaining silent in the face of problems. Peace means responsibility. Peace means asking:
Was everything truly done to prevent tragedies like this?
Peace means demanding safety in public transportation, safety for our children, safety for every citizen, young and old alike.
We call on the relevant institutions, the government, the ministry, and all responsible authorities to carry out their duties conscientiously and responsibly. We are not seeking revenge, nor are we pointing fingers in advance. We are asking for truth, for safety, and for a system that protects lives.
Today we stand together – for life, for justice, for a country in which we can raise our children without fear.
Let every candle lit today be a symbol that we can, and must do better.
For those who take young lives, who forget that every human being matters, who believe they can speak in our name, and for those because of whom neither the young nor the old can feel safe:
When a system fails, the cost is not political – it is a human life. Responsible leadership does not look for excuses, it looks for solutions.
