A panel discussion for young people under the title ‘Youth and the Judicial System of Bosnia and Herzegovina’ was held in Tuzla at the International Studio ‘Ismet Mujezinović’ within the European Union funded project ‘Youth for the Rule of Law’ ((YRoLL).  The project is implemented by the NGOs the Youth Resource Centre (ORC) from Tuzla and JaBiHEU from Sarajevo.

The participants on the panel were young people, representatives of the judiciary and lawyers who gathered to discuss the fundamental values ​​of the European Union, including the rule of law and respect for human rights. The panel provided the young people who attended with an opportunity to learn more about European integration.

During the discussion in Tuzla, the representatives of the NGOs together with the participants of the panel asked the young people how much they knew about the system and tried to find an answer to the question of how to get young people more interested in the judicial system in this country.

Danijel Stjepanović from the Tuzla Citizens' Forum and the moderator of the panel discussion pointed out, “Given that these are very young people, it was a pleasure to see how they think and how much they want to be familiar with this topic. The young people were especially interested in what the judicial system looks like in practice. We talked about certain criminal acts and how the courts act in such cases and what are the roles of judges, prosecutors, lawyers and attorneys. In this session we tried to provide young people with basic information about the judicial system in Bosnia and Herzegovina and interest them, in addition to formal education, to use self-initiative to find more information and educate themselves on this topic.”

Participants in the first discussion in Tuzla

In order to become a member of the European Union the citizens and institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina must respect its values. As pointed out by the European Commission in its ‘Strategy for the Western Balkans’ from 2018 and in the Commission’s Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s application for membership on the European Union, rule of law is at the heart of the European Union's enlargement process.

Delila Islamović, a lawyer, stated, “As a panellist on the Youth for the Rule of Law panel, I spoke about the importance of engaging young people and their interest in the rule of law and in human rights. I was one of the winners of the 15th Regional Trial Simulation Competition before the European Court of Human Rights and on that occasion I spoke about the importance of non-formal education and the principle of independent and impartial tribunal as fundamental principles of justice.”

The proper functioning of the judicial system and the effective fight against corruption are of utmost importance because they represent respect for fundamental rights both in law and in practice.

Rada Bojanic, a participant, said, “I am really delighted with this panel. It enabled me to acquire new knowledge and a different view of law and justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I believe that I will be able to use this and pass on the acquired knowledge to friends and family.”

Participants in the first discussion in Tuzla

Dragan Vulin, another participant, said, “The panel titled ‘Youth for the Rule of Law’ is the real thing, because the topic itself is very complex. We talked about the justice system, we tried to simplify how the judiciary works both at the local and higher levels.”

Participants in the first discussion in Tuzla

The European Union funded ‘Youth Rule of Law Lab’, which is implemented by the NGOs ‘JaBiHEU’ from Sarajevo and ORC from Tuzla, is a 30-month campaign developed in line with the EIDHR regulations aimed at supporting democracy.

The general goal of the action is to support and strengthen civil society organisations in promoting democratic culture by improving their knowledge as well as their participatory role in promoting, protecting and advancing the European Union’s stance on human rights and democracy as priorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.