The trial of Anis Kalajdžić for the murder of Aldina Jahić in Mostar represents the first test of the application of the new provisions of the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which introduced the gender-based murder of a female person as a special crime, and the outcome of that trial could establish standards for future investigations and court practice in cases of femicide.
Kalajdžić was charged before the Cantonal Court in Mostar with aggravated murder of a woman and unauthorized possession of a weapon. This is the first case in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in which an indictment was brought and confirmed for the criminal offense of “Major murder of a female person” under Article 166a of the FBiH Criminal Code.
The law stipulates that a person who commits gender-based murder of a female person will be punished with imprisonment of at least ten years or long-term imprisonment, which may last up to 45 years.
When establishing that criminal act, the court should take into account whether the victim was a close person, whether the perpetrator had previously abused her, whether she was in a relationship of subordination or dependence, and whether the act was committed in circumstances of sexual violence, unequal relationships or other circumstances that indicate gender-based violence.
Director of the TPO Foundation and PhD in gender studies Zilka Spahić-Šiljak believes that this procedure will show whether the introduction of femicide into the Criminal Code was only a formal change or the beginning of a real change in the way the judiciary understands gender-based murders of women.
“This will be a kind of test for the institutions, to see if the case will be reduced only to the last act or if the entire context that preceded it will be looked at – control, possessiveness, threats, monitoring and intimidation,” said Spahić-Šiljak for Fena.
She stressed that such a murder should not be presented as a sudden tragedy, but must be seen as a possible final act of long-term violence.
“The verdict in itself cannot bring back Aldina’s life, but it can establish a standard according to which future cases will be more seriously recognized, investigated and prosecuted,” she stated.
Judge of the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo Adisa Zahiragić also believes that the case will be important for the development of judicial practice because femicide as a criminological and legal concept will become more visible in the work of the judiciary.
She explained that femicide is not every murder of a woman, but a murder related to her gender, gender role and unequal power relations, which is often preceded by various forms of physical, psychological, sexual or economic violence.
In order to prove the gender-based nature of the murder, as she said, evidence of previous abuse and the relationship of the perpetrator towards the victim will be especially important.
“Their relevance is recognized through testimonies, medical documentation, data from centers for social work and non-governmental organizations, the victim’s stay in a safe house, as well as the previously imposed protective measures,” Zahiragić told Fena.
She estimated that it will take time for the judicial practice to settle down, but also for the broader social community to overcome prejudices according to which women should be subordinate to men.
Continuous education of judges, prosecutors, police officers and employees of social work centers, according to her, remains necessary, because the mere passing of a law does not mean that the problem is fully understood or that femicide will be stopped.
The “Aldina Jahić” Foundation said that no judgment can bring Aldina back or lessen the pain of her family, but that the institutions must show that they are capable of processing such cases in a way that recognizes their true nature.
“This is an opportunity to get justice and send a message that this is the first case of direct prosecution of femicide, but we hope it will be the last case in which a woman will lose her life due to gender-based violence,” the Foundation stated.
This case has a broader significance for the Foundation as it represents an opportunity to see how the new law will work in practice and whether it can set standards for future cases.
They pointed out that the legal recognition of femicide represents an important and long-awaited step forward because it recognizes that femicide is not just the killing of a woman, but the most severe form of gender-based violence that requires a special legal response.
However, they expect from the police, prosecutor’s offices and courts quality investigations, proper legal qualification of the crime, efficient and transparent procedures and sanctions that correspond to the gravity of the crime committed.
The foundation thanked the Cantonal Court in Mostar for enabling family, friends and the interested public to follow the proceedings, assessing that transparency is important for citizens’ trust in the judiciary.
The lawyer of the Jahić family, Damir Alić, said earlier that he expected Kalajdžić, if found guilty, to be sentenced to a maximum long-term prison sentence of 45 years.
The executive director of the “United Women” Foundation, Banja Luka, Gorica Ivić, warned that femicide is not an isolated act, but the most severe form of gender-based violence resulting from deep-rooted inequalities and unequal power relations between men and women.
For this reason, as she pointed out, the proceedings must not be focused only on the act of murder, but must include previous violence, threats, control, discrimination, the relationship between the accused and the victim, and all other circumstances that could indicate the gender-based nature of the act.
“Femicide is usually not a sudden event, but the end result of the escalation of violence, control and impunity of earlier forms of abuse,” said Ivić.
She stated that the punishment also has a preventive role and that the outcome of the procedure can send a message that the perpetrators will be punished, but also contribute to citizens’ trust in the judicial system.
According to the data of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) of BiH, submitted by the “United Women” Foundation, in 2025, 3,397 reports of criminal acts of domestic violence were registered in BiH, compared to 2,912 reports a year earlier.
In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the number of applications increased from 1,741 in 2024 to 2,297 in 2025. During the last year, 190 convictions with imprisonment, 19 fines and 361 suspended sentences were handed down in the Federation.
Ivić warned that the state cannot stop at passing new criminal law provisions, but must act in accordance with the principle of due diligence and take all reasonable and available measures to prevent violence and protect women.
This implies high-quality risk assessment, rapid exchange of information between the police, prosecutor’s offices, courts and centers for social work, urgent imposition and supervision of protective measures, and available legal, psychological and economic support for women exposed to violence.
Spahić-Šiljak warned that in cases of violence, not only one institution often fails, but the entire chain of protection.
“The police may register the incident as an argument, the center for social work does not have complete information about earlier reports, the prosecutor’s office does not assess the danger seriously enough, and the court imposes a measure whose implementation is not monitored later. When each institution sees only a small part of the case, the overall picture of the escalation of violence is lost,” she said.
“Death threats, stalking, obsessive control, restraining order violations, access to weapons, victim isolation and post-breakup violence must be treated as serious safety signals, she said.
Fena interlocutors believe that the system should not shift the burden of protection to the woman by expecting her to change her phone number, address, job, daily habits or place of residence, while the behavior of abusers is insufficiently restricted.
They agree that the law represents a necessary but not sufficient step and that the fight against femicide begins long before court proceedings – with risk recognition, timely reaction of institutions, protection of women and changing social attitudes that still present control, possessiveness and jealousy as acceptable parts of partner relationships.
The law can and should punish perpetrators, but only a change in social attitudes can reduce the number of future perpetrators,” concluded Spahić-Šiljak.
