After several years of legal battle, the parents of Bosniak children from Zvornik achieved a significant legal victory after the Supreme Court of Republika Srpska ruled in their favor in a dispute related to the children’s right to learn the Bosnian language. The verdict, which established discrimination, caused positive reactions among parents and in other parts of Republika Srpska, who expect it to represent a turning point in the protection of the right to education in the mother tongue.
The verdict caused a special resonance in Srebrenica, where parents have been fighting for years to recognize their children’s right to Bosnian language classes.
The president of the Bosniak Club in the Council of the People of Republika Srpska, Alija Tabaković, assessed that this court decision could send an important message to all areas where, as he says, there is discrimination.
“This can be a message from the city of genocide, from Srebrenica, to stop the discrimination of Bosniak children in Srebrenica, Zvornik, Kotor Varoš, Banja Luka, Janja, Bijeljina, but also everywhere where there is discrimination in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Tabaković.
The parents emphasize that their struggle is not of a political nature, but that it is based solely on respect for the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and basic human rights.
Damir Peštalić, a parent from Srebrenica, emphasizes that the right to the Bosnian language derives from constitutional provisions and that no one has the right to determine which language someone will use.
“No one can abolish the Bosnian language, which is defined by the Constitution. We knew from the beginning that this was a legal, not a political issue. You cannot tell someone what language they speak. We want all children in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs, to have the right to choose their own language, and we hope that after this verdict things will be different,” said Peštalić.
A similar attitude is shared by the parents from Konjević Polje, who for years led one of the most famous battles for the right of children to learn the Bosnian language.
A parent from Konjević Polje, Vehid Dedić, believes that the decision of the Supreme Court was expected, because, as he says, it is based on the law and the principle of equality.
“We expected this kind of verdict because we live in a country where equality must be respected. We are not asking for anything more than what the Constitution guarantees – the right of our children to study the Bosnian language. The court should enforce the law,” said Dedić.
The parents believe that this verdict could become an important legal precedent for solving similar cases in other local communities in the Republika Srpska. They expect that the competent educational institutions will finally begin to consistently implement court decisions and enable children to exercise their right to study the Bosnian language without new multi-year court proceedings.
However, they warn that, if the verdict is not implemented in practice, they will continue to use all available legal means to protect their children’s right to education in their mother tongue. For them, they say, this verdict is not the end of the fight, but an opportunity to finally end long-standing discrimination and ensure equal rights for all children in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
