Stop retaliation against whistleblowers in Bosnia

For more than a year, a small family-owned mining company in Bosnia has suffered relentless retaliation for blowing the whistle on a government bribery scheme. Rather than being thanked for exposing corruption, Tuzla Kvarc has faced reprisals that have brought the firm to its knees.

Authorities have shut down its quartz mining operations. Workers have not been paid since January. Their options running out, several employees began a hunger strike to draw attention to this flagrant case of whistleblower retaliation.

The hunger strike has continued, with people refusing water and medical care.

International pressure on Bosnian Prime Minister Denis Zvizdic is urgently needed to stop the retaliation against the Tuzla Kvarc whistleblowers.

Please send the email below:

Background:
Akta: Instead of Punishing Perpetrators System Wasting its Energy to Destroy Whistleblowers
Documentary film: Cijena Pravde (The Price of Justice)

Zlatan and Smail Velagic survey the rubble of their office building that was burned and demolished by unknown perpetrators in October 2015. They claim their office was destroyed as retaliation for exposing a government bribery scheme in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Photo: Mark Worth).

Subject:

Your Letter:

Dear Hon. Prime Minister Zvizdic,

I am writing to urge you to put a stop to all legal actions taken against Tuzla Kvarc, and to allow the company to freely restart its operations and put its 50 employees back to work.

Tuzla Kvarc has suffered unwarranted sanctions since reporting last year that Tuzla Canton's deputy mining minister was demanding huge bribes to grant a mining license. As you know, this official was arrested by national authorities in May 2015 with the assistance of Tuzla Kvarc. But rather than being thanked for exposing corruption, Tuzla Kvarc has suffered persistent legal actions against it.

Its quartz mining operations were shut down and workers have not been paid since January. Tax officials seized company property. Police conducted nuisance inspections. Prosecutors in Tuzla filed criminal charges against the company and its director for mining without a license – even though the reason it didn’t have a license was because they refused to pay a bribe. Last October a company office building was burned and demolished in the middle of the night. Police have failed to investigate the incident.

Now, several employees are on a hunger strike, refusing even to accept water and medical care.

This situation cannot continue. Please step in and end all actions against Tuzla Kvarc.

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