In the early hours of Monday morning Mostar was shaken by an explosion outside the City Hall. The OHR is appalled by this attack and condemns the use of violence and appeals today for calm in the City of Mostar, but also across BiH. This violence must not be allowed to spread.

The security of every part of BiH must be a priority for all responsible agencies, at local, Entity and State level. The rule of law must be upheld in Mostar, as across BiH. The OHR has been in contact with the competent law enforcement agencies and political leaders since the incident was reported and has been coordinating with representatives of international agencies in BiH.

The OHR is pleased that the authorities have pledged that a thorough investigation will be conducted and that they will exert the utmost effort to find the perpetrators of this attack.

OHR expects leaders from across the political and ethnic spectrum to react constructively, and to join in a condemnation of this attack and all actions and statements that raise tensions in Mostar and elsewhere.

Right-thinking citizens in Mostar, and across Bosnia and Herzegovina, will agree that callous and cowardly attacks must not be allowed to impede the process of creating a functional and integrated Mostar, which is fundamental to the post-war recovery of BiH.