8 men in Bosnia accused of sexually exploiting minors

Several police officials—including the former head of the local anti-corruption task force—and a former lawmaker who taught at a private university are among eight men accused of sexually exploiting two underage girls from an orphanage in Tuzla, northeastern Bosnia.

The Tuzla Canton Prosecutor’s Office said Friday it has sought pretrial detention for eight suspects, including four police officers, all of whom were arrested on Wednesday on charges of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

According to prosecutors, a police inspector is accused of organizing and profiting from the trafficking network that exploited the girls, both born in 2009. He allegedly worked on this with the chief of the Criminal Police Department in nearby Živinice—who also chaired the working group that drafted the canton’s anti-corruption strategy—as well as six other men, among them a former state lawmaker and university professor.

Prosecutors said the group recruited, transported and hid the girls between April 2024 and July 2025. The victims were allegedly coerced into prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation, with some of the suspects paying for sexual services themselves. The police inspector is accused of taking a portion of the money the girls were forced to earn.

The girls “repeatedly ran away from the orphanage, and certain police officers or social workers would bring them back,” Admir Arnautović, spokesman for the Tuzla Canton Prosecutor’s Office, told media. “The suspects exploited their helplessness and used those escapes to recruit, hide and sell them for sexual services. They also personally used and paid for those services.”

Arnautović said those convicted of trafficking minors face 10 to 20 years in prison, while paying for sex with minors carries six months to five years.

All police officers involved have been temporarily suspended, authorities confirmed. Bosnian media noted that the police inspector had drawn public attention 15 years ago when he was found to have forged his diploma, though it remains unclear why he was never sanctioned.

Outraged citizens have called for a peaceful protest march on Sunday, from the orphanage to the Tuzla Canton Interior Ministry, demanding accountability and the resignation of officials responsible for oversight failures.