Railway strike halts trains in FBiH
31/07/2009
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) -- Railway traffic in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) ground to a halt Thursday (July 30th) after train drivers went on strike. Their union organised it to protest government plans to cut salaries in the sector by 10%. Trains in all major cities -- Sarajevo, Zenica, Mostar, Tuzla, and Bihac among others -- stopped at 7 am. Trains in the other entity, Republika Srpska (RS), operated normally.
In other news Thursday, Deputy High Representative Raffi Gregorian criticised FBiH authorities for letting a former mujahedeen fighter, deemed a national security threat, escape from prison. Karaj Kamel bin Ali, also known as Abu Hamza, did not return to Zenica prison Monday following a week-long leave he had been granted. Gregorian said the escape underscores "serious systemic flaws in the penal systems in BiH", adding there have been failures in prison security in both FBiH and RS for years. He blamed FBiH Minister of Justice Felix Vidovic for failing to address the long-standing problems in his entity. Gregorian also criticised the lack of communication between judicial institutions and prison authorities. (BHRT, Nezavisne Novine, B92, DPA, BTA, OHR, Dnevni Avaz, Fena, RTRS, Srna - 30/07/09)