IGC CALLS ON EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES AND ACADEMIC NETWORKS TO REVIEW COOPERATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF EAST SARAJEVO OVER MATERIAL PRESENTING BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA AS A FOREIGN COUNTRY
The Institute for Research of Genocide Canada (IGC) has written to the leaders of eleven European universities and academic associations that cooperate with the University of East Sarajevo and its Faculty of Medicine in Foča, calling on them to review, suspend, or terminate such cooperation in response to promotional material that presents Bosnia and Herzegovina as a foreign country.
On 3 October 2026, the Bosnian daily Oslobođenje reported that the Faculty of Medicine in Foča had published a promotional graphic highlighting 722 “foreign” students. The graphic displayed the flags of India, Greece, Germany, Bangladesh and other countries, alongside the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and identified 12 students from Bosnia and Herzegovina as foreign students.
The Faculty of Medicine is located in Foča, within Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is part of the University of East Sarajevo, a public university in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The classification of students from Sarajevo, Tuzla, Zenica, Mostar and other parts of the country as “foreign” therefore raises serious questions about how the institution understands and publicly represents the constitutional status of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In IGC’s assessment, this cannot simply be dismissed as an administrative or design error. Presenting Bosnia and Herzegovina as a foreign country from within a public institution located in Bosnia and Herzegovina contributes to the normalisation of the narrative that Republika Srpska is a separate state rather than an entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina. That narrative is closely connected to longstanding political efforts to challenge the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The issue carries particular significance given the history of Republika Srpska and the crimes committed during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia convicted Radovan Karadžić, the wartime president of Republika Srpska, and Ratko Mladić, commander of the Army of Republika Srpska, of genocide, among other crimes. Their genocide convictions were upheld on appeal, and both are serving life sentences. The International Court of Justice likewise found that genocide was committed at Srebrenica by members of the Army of Republika Srpska. Fočan itself was the site of widespread crimes against Bosniak civilians during the war.
Against this historical and legal background, IGC has asked European academic institutions to examine whether continued institutional cooperation with the University of East Sarajevo is consistent with their own institutional principles and responsibilities.
“Academic cooperation should not be used to legitimise the portrayal of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a foreign country within its own territory. European universities should carefully consider whether their partnerships, funding and institutional prestige are being used to normalise narratives that challenge the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
Institute for Research of Genocide Canada {IGC}
European university partners contacted by IGC
IGC has written to eight European universities that cooperate with the Faculty of Medicine in Foča or the University of East Sarajevo:
Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria — Prof. Gert Mayer, Rector
Partner in the Erasmus+ project ProBLeMS, coordinated by the University of East Sarajevo.
“Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iași, Romania — Prof. Viorel Scripcariu, Rector
Hosts medical students from Foča for Erasmus+ clinical traineeships.
“Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, Romania — Prof. Sorin Radu, Rector
Hosts students from Foča for clinical-practice mobility.
University of Évora, Portugal — Prof. António Candeias, Rector
Maintains Erasmus+ cooperation with the University of East Sarajevo, including a visit by the Foča dean.
KU Leuven, Belgium — Prof. Séverine Vermeire, Rector
Participates in Erasmus+ staff mobility with the Faculty of Medicine in Foča.
Medical University of Lublin, Poland — Prof. Wojciech Załuska, Rector
Maintains long-term Erasmus+ student and staff exchanges with the Faculty of Medicine in Foča.
School of Health (ESS), Porto, Portugal — Prof. Miguel Saúde, President
Participates in Erasmus+ staff and student exchanges with the Foča faculty.
University of Szeged, Hungary — Prof. László Rovó, Rector
Maintains a cooperation agreement with the University of East Sarajevo involving the two universities’ law faculties.
European academic associations contacted by IGC
IGC has also written to three European academic associations of which the University of East Sarajevo is a member:
European University Association (EUA) — Prof. Josep M. Garrell, President
Danube Rectors’ Conference (DRC) — Prof. Stefan Koch, President
UniAdrion, Association of Universities of the Adriatic-Ionian Area — Prof. Deborah Pacetti, Secretary General
IGC is asking the partner universities to bring the matter to the attention of their governing bodies and international-relations offices and to seek a formal explanation from the Faculty of Medicine in Foča and the University of East Sarajevo concerning the classification of students from Bosnia and Herzegovina as “foreign.”
IGC is further calling on the universities to review their existing institutional relationships with the University of East Sarajevo and its Faculty of Medicine and to suspend or terminate further cooperation—including Erasmus+ mobility and joint projects—if the institutions are unwilling to clarify and correct the practice or continue to promote the dissolution of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
IGC is making a similar appeal to the European academic associations. The associations are being asked to raise the matter formally with the leadership of the University of East Sarajevo, request a public explanation and correction, and place the university’s continued membership before their appropriate governing bodies.
IGC is also asking the associations to consider suspending the University of East Sarajevo’s membership if the institution continues to promote the dissolution of Bosnia and Herzegovina in a manner inconsistent with their stated principles and membership obligations. In its communication to the European University Association, IGC recalled that the EUA has previously suspended members over conduct considered incompatible with its values.
IGC emphasises that its appeal is directed at institutional cooperation and accountability, not at students or individual academics. European universities can support students, researchers and academic exchange while simultaneously insisting that their institutional partners respect the constitutional order and territorial integrity of the state in which they operate.
IGC therefore calls on European universities and academic associations to ensure that academic cooperation does not inadvertently provide institutional legitimacy, resources or prestige to efforts aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
