We often read about identity theft, which is becoming more and more frequent. Consequences following identity theft can be serious and long-lasting. But, what happens when someone, without your knowledge, uses your name and identity for political purposes?
This story begins when a citizen of Mostar, listening the news on a local portal, discovered that her name was on the preliminary published lists of candidates for the City Council.
“I saw this news on some portal, they wrote about butchers and carpenters being on the list, and because of the news title I decided to read the article so to see who the journalists were criticizing. What a surprise to see my name there. When I saw my name, I was shocked. So, I check out to see if there is more people who have the same name as me. There is none. Just me. Terrible. I was in shock and I am still in shock. They hurt me so bad!”, said the victim, whose identity has been hidden for now.
That what at first appeared to be a mistake soon turned out to be a serious misuse of identity. According to the information available, everything was planned and carried out by a person close to the president and party members, who used confidential information from work documents in the workplace to register the victim as a candidate without her authorization. Victim’s work colleague, using this information, falsified the statement and signature, and illegally obtained certification in the municipality.
“My identity was intentionally misused and my personal information illegally used, including forging my signature. It is not clear to me how someone who graduated from university, holding a good position in a company and is a member of a party, does not know the laws well enough. Even the child knows that it is forbidden by the law to sign something in someone’s name. Then a series of lies appeared, promises that the party would remove me from the list even though they knew that it was impossible and that the lists had already been certified. My work colleague who falsified the statement and signature said to me, “Well, I didn’t think that you would be angry, I didn’t know that your name would go public and that you would see it and that it would have such consequences”. My work colleague and her political party are the guiltiest party in my opinion because of the fact that they took advantage of me and my trust. ” the victim added.
After confronting her colleague with the knowledge about the abuse, the victim immediately took all steps necessary so to protect her interests. The first step was a request to the party so to remove her name from the candidate list. However, the response she received was devastating – the ballot papers were already in the process of being printed, and according to them, it was not possible to remove victim’s name from the list. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, she immediately reported the case to the competent police station in Mostar. The investigation was soon launched, and the competent authorities verified her allegations. All persons connected to this case have been invited for an interview and have given statements regarding the accusations. It is expected that criminal proceedings will be conducted against the persons responsible.
“I have to defend myself. When someone deceives you in this way, you don’t trust anyone anymore. I also contacted those from the party, they said that they are not interested in it, they distance themselves from everything. I never dreamed that something like this would happen to me. But I have to defend myself. I have all the evidence and I will certainly continue to fight and go wherever I need to go. I will not stop,” the victim continues.
In addition to the above mentioned, the president of the Mostar City Election Commission was informed about this case and expressed his disbelief, according to the statements of the victim. In accordance with the rules, every candidate must be informed about his/her candidacy, and the fact that victim of this story did not receive any information, but had to learn about it from the media, raises serious questions about how this omission occurred. The Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina is also aware of the situation and their answer is the same, it is not possible to remove her name from the list because the ballots are in the process of being printed.
“That is unacceptable to me! I have never been politically active. I have never collected signatures for any party. I don’t want to do anything pertaining to politics. That’s exactly what they used against me: the fact that I don’t know anything about the process itself and that I have nothing to do with politics. Imagine, they even ask me if I want some material benefit! I don’t want anything! I want to clear my name from this shame they have done to me. I hope that this story will not be covered up and that this will not stop. If things like this pass, then nothing makes sense,” the victim points out.
The question is whether this is an isolated case or whether there is a pattern of identity theft being used for political manipulation. If it turns out that this is part of a wider pattern of activity, a thorough investigation will be necessary to prevent further abuses and ensure the transparency of the election process.
“Everyone around me has supported me and they are all as shocked as I am (I mean everyone both at home and at work). All those close to me think that my struggle is right way and that what happened to me must be widely known. They support me in my desire not to give up. I reported everything and I cleared the stain from my name. One of the reasons I am doing this is that I don’t want something similar to happen to someone else. No one can play with people like this. I don’t expect laws and rules to be changed because of me. I expect the institutions to do their job”, she concluded and added that she expects a timely reaction from the prosecution office.
Identity theft is not only a legal issue, but is also a serious blow to the basic rights of every individual. In a world where our data is increasingly accessible, it is important to recognize the danger and take the necessary steps to keep each individual safe. This brave citizen of Mostar is determined to go all the way and fight for her rights. She plans to actively follow the investigation and seek justice through all legal mechanisms available.
