Article published on the Bosnia Herzegovina news portal Taco.net today, authored by Dalida Kozlic, L.L.B, lawyer and activist:
DOGS TRUST UČESTVUJE U UDARU NA USTAVNI POREDAK BIH, KAO I ORGANIZOVANOM KRIMINALU

English Translation:

DOGS TRUST IS INVOLVED IN ATTACK ON CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER OF BIH AND CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES

The role of Dogs Trust Foundation has been clarified during the current events concerning the illegal decision of the Government of Sarajevo Canton to form a dog catching service with Public Enterprise (P. E.) “Rad” Sarajevo.

It appears that the Dogs Trust Foundation is interested in everything except the welfare and protection of stray dogs. According to Ahmed Đipa PR of P. E. “Rad”, as well as by admission of the staff of Dogs Trust BiH, the foundation finances and trains dog catchers of the company P. E. “Rad”. Also, Dogs Trust has provided the equipment for this illegal dog catching service. Dogs Trust has publicly supported the decision of Government of Canton Sarajevo on the forming of the illegal dog catching service, P. E. “Rad”.

The Animal Protection and Welfare Act of Bosnia and Herzegovina came into force in April 2009. The Animal Protection and Welfare Act of Bosnia and Herzegovina forbids any form of torture to animals, and obliges the local governments (cities and municipalities) to provide shelter for stray animals.
On 18.05.2009, the Veterinary Inspection Sarajevo Canton adopted the Decision No. 07-06 – 24 – CS – 295 ordering P. E. “Rad” to align their work with the regulations of the Law on the animal protection and welfare of BiH (Official. Gazette 9.25). In the said decision it was stated that P. E. “Rad” does not have permission to work because its activities and catching of stray dogs was illegal and contrary to provisions of the Animal Protection and Welfare Act of Bosnia and Herzegovina. After the decision had been issued, P. E. “Rad” ceased their activities.

However, the Government of Canton Sarajevo is being drawn into illegal activities, because the foreign organisation Dogs Trust has provided money for these illegal activities.

Authorities in Canton Sarajevo should not and must not permit this rich foundation, which has intentions contrary to the provisions of the Criminal Code of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Animal Protection and Welfare Act, to dictate the policy of the local government.

By financing and training of an illegal dog catching service, Dogs Trust participates in the preparation and execution of a series of crimes.

Since the foundation Dogs Trust has directly supported illegal activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the question is whether the decision of the Government of Canton Sarajevo on forming of the illegal dog catching service has been enacted by an initiative of the government or because of pressure from Dogs Trust, which has been carrying out illegal activities in Canton Sarajevo for two years, all with the aim of implementing its illegal policies and questionable financial operations, which must be the subject of investigative actions by the prosecuting authority.

Dogs Trust insists upon partial implementation of Animal Protection and Welfare Act of Bosnia and Herzegovina and they encourage Bosnian authorities in criminal activities by providing a cover for certain activities under the guise of law enforcement. Dogs Trust participates in many criminal activities in the Sarajevo Canton. Mass spay/neuter campaigns have been organised without any respect for the legal system of Bosnia. Establishing of shelters for stray animals and a database (microchip) registration of dogs and cats are legal obligations. Local authorities are obliged to build shelters for stray animals in accordance with the Animal Protection and Welfare Act as well as ensure compliance with regulations which stipulate acceptable living conditions of stray animals housed in public shelters. Also, it is the legal obligation of local authorities is to establish hygienic services which are obliged to collect lost and stray animals and move them to local shelters, in accordance with Animal Protection and Welfare Act, and this service must also comply with legal requirements stipulating establishment of such service and conditions which the service must fulfill to be recognized legally.

There are not any legal shelter and hygienic services in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

CNR (catch-neuter-return) method is not a legal obligation in BiH, but it is a legal possibility- a provisional rule until the full scope of services for abandoned animals are established. Until animal shelters are actually established (as described in Article 28 of the Act, by the bodies defined by this Act), veterinary stations can, in cooperation with the competent municipal bodies, perform spay and neuter and mark abandoned animals, specifically stray dogs, and release them back to their natural habitats, with the goal being to stabilise the stray animal population by controlling their reproduction within the shortest possible period. Since the mass spay/neuter campaigns have been implemented without legal permissions and procedures, but through public tenders for participation in these actions, the activities of Dogs Trust are de facto an experimentation on domestic animals.

Choosing veterinary stations that perform spay/neuter campaign is carried out without the permission of the relevant veterinary institutions. The legal system in Bosnia does not approve of any institutional power of the NGO in Bosnia, i.e.,  NGOs cannot interfere in the powers of government, as Dogs Trust is doing. Dogs Trust tries to play the role of rescuer in the Sarajevo Canton, ignoring the provisions of Animal Protection and Welfare Act of Bosnia and Herzegovina and suggests that the BiH authorities act contrary to their own statutory provisions.

Representatives of the Dogs Trust attended the press conference at which, among others, was addressed Muriz Alic, the owner of the (generously labeled as, but practically an internment camp) “shelter” for abandoned animals in Praca, whose work and business is under investigation by the Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office in Sarajevo Canton. These representatives confirmed that they are not interested issue of camps for abandoned animals, rather that they are interested in pressing the authorities to enter into activities. Activities which are illegal.

Daily complaints from veterinarians and people who bring dogs to the veterinary stations to be spayed/neutered unambiguously indicate that Dogs Trust and employees of Dogs Trust demand that sick,  injured and old dogs are euthanized during the actual mass spay/neuter campaign.This assertion is supported by material evidence.

In accordance with the provisions of the Animal Protection and Welfare Act of Bosnia and Herzegovina, only an authorised official veterinarian may order the euthanasia of animals.

By ordering of euthanasia, Dogs Trust not only interferes in the competences of authorised official veterinarians, but commits a criminal offence under Article 318 of the Criminal Code of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (torture and killing of animals), as well as incitement to commit a criminal offence.

Dogs Trust is also directly involved in the formation of the hygienic service of P. E. “Lokom” Novi Grad Sarajevo, which is an illegal service. This hygienic service was directly formed under the patronage of coordinators of Dogs Trust in 2013. Dogs Trust has trained dog catchers employed in this hygienic service and there were material evidences that Dogs Trust provided equipment for their illegal activities.

Mustafa Mrkulic, a veterinarian, who is the most famous killer of stray dogs in Sarajevo, has participated in many mass spay/neuter campaigns organised by Dogs Trust.

Also Dogs Trust publicly announced that there are over 11 000 stray dogs on the streets of Sarajevo Canton, without having any grounds, or authority to make such a claim.. Only the State Veterinary Office is authorised to count and publish data on the number of stray dogs on the streets of Sarajevo Canton as well as the whole of Bosnia. This is one in a series of moves that shows that Dogs Trust not only do not respect the laws of the country in which it operates, but also directly obstructs the work of the state institutions.

By disseminating illegal and ill-informed information about the number of stray dogs on the streets of Sarajevo Canton, this organization has caused panic among the citizens of Sarajevo. Of course, by doing so, they provided an “argument” for some of the media which have been leading the campaign against the abandoned animals for more than 2 years. This aggressive campaign against establishing and construction of lawful animal shelters in Bosnia, which is a legal obligation of government, is (if not directly organized, than actively supported) by Dogs Trust and it directly contributes to an atmosphere that there is no solution to reduce the population of stray dogs.

Now, Dogs Trust positioned themselves as the only organization which offers solutions – which are in direct violation of the laws and regulations of the country in which they operate.

Criminal charges will be filed and evidence submitted to the competent prosecutor’s office regarding all Dogs Trust illegal activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina; against individuals working for and management of Dogs Trust BiH and against Dogs Trust as a legal entity.

To see the original article please go here.

.
Petitions:
BOSNIA! IMPLEMENT HUMANE STRAY-DOG AND CAT POPULATION CONTROL AND TREATMENT
Stop massive killing of dogs in Sarajevo
Petition to save Bosnia’s stray dogs! Please sign!
Also see the petitions on the Petitions page.

Related articles in this blog:
The Campaign Begins With a Slaughter: You will kill the dogs, but what will you do with the beasts?
Stray Dogs of Sarajevo to be Killed in Election Ploy
Stop the Killing of Strays in Sarajevo
Bosnia: Sarajevo set to become the next Bucharest
BOSNIA: kill and slaughter until the dog is no more…
Bosnia Killing Dogs – No Different to Romania!

Related media:

Ambassador’s Notes: Embassy Sarajevo Views from U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina
Jelena Paunović: I got bi’en by a dog in the election campaign /  Jelena Paunović: Uj’o me cuko u predizbornoj kampanji
Masovni pokolj pasa u KS košta 680.000 KM / Massive dog slaughter in Canton Sarajevo will cost 340 000 EUR
AlJazeera: Kontekst: Problem zbrinjavanja pasa u Sarajevu  (Context: The problem of disposal of dogs in Sarajevo)
Emergency phone numbers available for Canton Sarajevo residents to report dog attacks / Hitni telefoni za prijavu napada pasa dostupni građanima KS
Criminal Charges Pressed Against Acting Prime Minister in The Government of Sarajevo Due to Forming Illegal Dog Catching Service
Bosnia: Sarajevo creates unit ‘to catch stray dogs’
U državama u kojima ne vlada zakon prava, vlada zakon linča
Stranka za BiH: Odluka Vlade KS o uklanjanju napuštenih pasa je neustavna i nezakonita
Sarajevo: Podnesena kaznena prijava zbog formiranja ilegalnog šintorskog servisa

_____________________________________________

DONATIONS

Funds are needed to help individual rescues, for spay-neuter projects, for education also to continue advocacy work in Bosnia, uncovering the truth about what is happening there.

Donations are managed by AWABosnia, an independent group of animal advocates. On their website, Animal Welfare Advocates for Bosnia, you can set up a monthly donation via PayPal, or if you want to make a one-off donation, please go to your PayPal account (or set one up, it’s very easy) and send the money to: donations@awabosnia.org as a ‘gift’. Click on the image below to be taken to PayPal’s home page.

Or if you want to use the customised PayPal form, click the link below. However, a transaction fee and a percentage (2- 5.4%) will be deducted by PayPal for any contribution made.

If you want your contribution to go to a specific cause, please make a note in the PayPal comment box. If you wish to contribute via bank transfer or have other difficulties or questions, please go here.

______________________________________________

This site is dedicated to Vučko. Read his story and don’t let him have suffered and died in vain. Please help the stray dogs and cats in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The situation there is utterly dire, Vučko is but one amongst many horrifically abused animals. Even just one dollar or one euro will help make a difference.