The Federal Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Adnan Delić, filed a criminal complaint with the District Court in Doboj against NN police officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republika Srpska, Doboj Police Department, on suspicion of having committed criminal acts of damaging and confiscating other people’s property, abuse of official position and violent behavior.
The report refers to the event of July 1, 2026 in Doboj, when, according to the report, police officers forcibly removed, confiscated and tore the flag of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the private car of the citizen Sadeta Hasanić, during which there was also a physical push with the citizens who tried to protect their property and the flag.
On this occasion, Minister Delić said that no institution has the right to humiliate citizens by force or exceed legal powers.
“How much humanity do you have to lose to attack women? That a mother and daughter use their bodies to defend the flag from those whose duty it is to protect people, not to push and intimidate them. This scene is a painful reminder that in our homeland, women have too often been the last line of defense for dignity, pride and identity. They were in war. And today, unfortunately, we see that they must be so even in peace. A uniform must never be a symbol of power over the weaker, but of the protection of every person, no matter where in Bosnia and Herzegovina they live. You can try to tear the flag out of someone’s hands. But you can’t from the heart. You can’t from the identity. You can’t from who a person is,” said Delić.
The criminal complaint states that flying the flag of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina does not constitute a criminal offense or hate speech, and that, according to available evidence, police officers seized and damaged private property without legal basis, exceeded official authority and used force against female citizens.
The Minister requested the competent judicial institutions to urgently conduct an investigation, establish the identity of the responsible police officers and prosecute them in accordance with the law.
“A state is built by respecting the law, not by demonstrating force. Institutions exist to protect the rights of citizens, not to threaten them. Therefore, I expect the judiciary to investigate this case impartially, professionally and without any political calculations. Only accountability can restore trust in institutions and show that no one is above the law,” said Minister Delić.
