The Missing Persons Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina (INO BiH) has finalized administrative procedures and obtained permits to award around 600,000 BAM to persons who provide accurate information regarding mass graves.
These funds were collected based on six previous rulings by the former Human Rights Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The verdicts ordered the entities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska to deposit money to gather information on missing persons, INO BiH spokesperson Emza Fazlić said in an interview with FENA.
She explained that due to complicated administrative setbacks, legal procedures, and inability to make direct payments to individuals while fully protecting their privacy, the money could not be used until now, and not a single reward has been paid out. The main reason was that sources refused to reveal their identity.
According to her, the new convocation of the Board of Directors overcame these barriers by adopting the new Rulebook on Rewarding Information Sources. The Rulebook is aligned with the Law on the Protection of Classified Information of Bosnia and Herzegovina, making the funds finally operational.
Speaking about the new rulebook, Fazlić said that the key novelty is the guarantee of anonymity for informants.
“The key novelty of this document, unlike the previous solutions, is that it guarantees absolute anonymity and protection of the identity of informants who do not want to reveal it. The cooperation between the informants and the Institute is highly confidential, and the money can now be paid directly to the informant in person, completely eliminating the risk of identity exposure,” Fazlić said.
She added that the Institute expects an influx of new, accurate information regarding locations of the mass graves, specifically urging persons who have any information about the whereabouts of victims’ remains to come forward. These persons should contact the Institute, mainly the investigators who will lead this process and guarantee their anonymity and security, based on a bylaw instruction act that fully defines their procedures.
“The amount of the financial reward is not fixed. It is determined by a series of defined criteria, including the number of discovered graves and found bodies, the location, type, and character of the grave, the level of personal risk the source is exposed to, and other factors relevant to the process. Depending on the amount, which can exceed 30,000 BAM, payout requests are approved across four decision-making levels,” Fazlić explained.
As she said, the rulebook precisely defines that informants will receive the money only after a detailed verification of the information on the ground.
The payout follows when an exhumation determines that the data is accurate and after DNA analysis confirms that the discovered remains belong to victims within the Institute’s mandate.
In order to ensure maximum transparency and prevent eventual abuses, a special Supervision and Control Board has also been established to monitor the implementation of all provisions of the secondary legislation.
“Thanks to this new, secure mechanism, we are right to expect an influx of new and accurate information from the field – meaning that those who have information about the location of the mass graves will speak up and assist this process, finally bringing peace to families. For this reason, I issue an open call to all citizens who have any information about mass grave locations to contact the Institute freely and without fear for their own safety, with complete guaranteed anonymity.
