ACTIONS OF THE PANTER ORGANISATION: Self-Proclaimed Investigators Become the Subject of Investigation!

The Panter Association has existed for over two and a half years. They introduced themselves as an organisation dedicated to animal protection, aiming to expose abusers in the process. Social media users have expressed support and approval for their mission. 

Over the past month, the Panter organisation has gained increased media attention. They have entered a new phase of their operations—fighting against paedophiles. Using fake social media profiles posing as underage girls, they lure men into arranging meetings. At the designated locations, these men are confronted by members of the organisation, who then publish videos of these "ambushes," coercing confessions, and "re-educating" the individuals. 

Even at this stage, initial warnings were voiced that, regardless of potentially good intentions, Panter's actions exceed the bounds of civic activism aimed at protecting children from deviant individuals. 

"HUNTING" PAEDOPHILES 

Although they claimed they are merely "hunting" individuals inclined toward paedophilia and would provide evidence to the police, by publishing identities, forcibly detaining individuals, and subjecting them even to mild forms of torture, they create the possibility that a potential perpetrator of a criminal offence could, due to such actions—which should be conducted by competent agencies—end up being acquitted of criminal responsibility, thanks to the Panter Association's methods! 

The possibility that their activities could be classified as the criminal offence of "Self-Will" was first publicly pointed out by Dragan Mioković, a long-time police officer and now a representative in the Federal Parliament. 

Following this lead, Žurnal contacted the Panter Association about ten days ago. We inquired whether they had taken note of the remarks that their actions—specifically in dealing with individuals they identify as paedophiles—might legally be questionable and could fall under the criminal offence of "Self-Will" as defined by Article 370 of the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We also posed several additional questions.

This was followed by phone calls from the organisation's leader, Ahmed Džinović. 

“You will get a response from me, but with a nicer story, with a nicer request. Your desired effect is to go against us, and I don’t like that,” he said during the first contact. 

A meeting was arranged afterwards, but they did not show up at the scheduled time. Through messages, they kept changing the meeting location. After failing to agree on a time and place, Džinović promised to provide a written response by the next day. No response was received. Prior to this, he hinted at another direction for the organisation's activities. 

“Management does not allow that because we have this marketing that we are very careful about, as it is very important to us for the things we are working on. We will clean our country of even bigger and more serious threats to our youth and threats to all citizens. We don’t want to get into things that could lead to our discreditation... This will be in about a month; it’s a social issue that affects everyone... you understand that our system is poisoned, that corruption is enormous, and that certain structures thrive on selling certain things, which impacts the youth and their lives,” Džinović stated.

ABDUCTION OF A MINOR 

It took only a few days, not a month, for the announced "new direction" to begin. On the Panter Association's YouTube channel, a video titled "WE KIDNAPPED HER" with the subtitle "Guardians of the Future" was published. The video features a conversation with a woman, whose face is obscured, sitting in a vehicle with three masked men in the Ilidža area. The masked men attempt to coerce a confession from her about drug use and the alleged drug dealers she supposedly works for. They also warn her to change her poor behaviour toward her mother. 

"Tonight, we successfully implemented a new initiative for youth safety, focusing particularly on protecting the most vulnerable. As part of this operation, with the consent of the mother, we helped a 13-year-old girl who was influenced by bad company and dangerous habits. Our intervention aimed to protect her and encourage her to take a healthier life path. This is just one of the new measures we are introducing for a safer environment... All footage and details of this operation were agreed upon with the parents and carried out with their consent," the video description stated. 

The Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office confirmed to Žurnal that a case has been opened concerning the Panter Association's activities, and their actions within the Sarajevo Canton are under investigation. Regarding the minor girl, the alleged parental consent does not exempt their actions from legal scrutiny. The competent Center for Social Work has also become involved in the case. 

"In connection with your inquiry dated November 18, 2024, we can confirm that the Social Protection Service of the Municipality of Ilidža is aware of events for which there are grounds to suspect criminal offences under Article 179, Paragraph 1, and Article 173, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, committed to the detriment of a minor. Together with the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office, the service is actively involved in documenting and ensuring the protection of the mentioned minor. Since this concerns a minor, we request discretion and the protection of personal data," the Social Protection Service of the Municipality of Ilidža responded to Žurnal.

The activities of this organisation are also under investigation in the Una-Sana Canton, where several "arrests" of individuals labelled as paedophiles by the Panter Association were recorded, the Canton Police Directorate confirmed to Žurnal. 

Žurnal contacted several prosecutors, police officials, and experienced investigators, all of whom agreed that the Panter Association's methods are illegal and risk multiple legal charges, including self-will, violent behaviour, and unlawful deprivation of liberty. 

"There are also issues concerning the protection of personal data, unauthorised recording, defamation if they lack solid evidence, and even if they have evidence, its validity is questionable when presented in such a manner," experts explained. 

Indeed, in their latest video, while a Panter member scrolls through the phone of the "arrested" individual, visible contacts are displayed that may have no connection to the case but could suffer uncomfortable consequences due to their association with it.

Interestingly, or perhaps not, the federal minister Ramo Isak, who often comments on similar activities, has yet to address the actions of the Panter group. The appearance of masked individuals who now modify their voices in published recordings to conceal their identities has not prompted a response from him—even when their actions involve minors! 

"We are aware of the risks and what we might be charged with... Committing a criminal offence while preventing another criminal offence cannot be considered a crime. We could be charged with self-will, but in the end, in court, all of that will be overturned," commented the organisation's leader, Ahmed Džinović. 

The Panter organisation was registered in Ključ in February 2022 as an animal protection association. The registration document specifies that their primary activity is the care and assistance of abandoned animals. There is no mention of "hunting" paedophiles, drug dealers, or anyone else...

NIGHT RAID IN ZENICA

After driving with a minor, the members of the Panter group briefly recalled their original mission and decided to "remind" everyone of their concern for animals.

Amer Beganović, a Zenica native, was their next target. Beganović is well-known as a great animal lover, and his property near the Smetovi excursion site is visited by hundreds of children with their parents. Many children make their first contact with various animals on this property, including different types of poultry, rabbits, horses, cows, goats, and even llamas, ostriches, deer, squirrels, and monkeys. Beganović takes care of 60 abandoned dogs and also looks after injured and sick wild animals, which he releases back into the wild after they recover. There is no charge for entry to the property, and visitors can leave voluntary donations if they wish.

Such a person was visited by members of Panter a few nights ago. They criticised the fact that one dog was kept in a small space, tied up, and similar issues. They recorded a video showing what they claimed was a catastrophic situation on the property, with an extorted promise from Beganović to improve the conditions. Their rude behaviour did not intimidate him. He reported the intrusion to the police and plans to file a lawsuit for defamation and illegal actions. He spoke to Žurnal about how he treats animals.

"The animals are vaccinated, microchipped, veterinary treated and if they (veterinarians) are satisfied with the conditions, I don't know why someone can't interfere. Aggressive dogs cannot be free. Children come, people come, if a dog bites someone, I would be to blame", Beganović stated.

After a flood of negative comments regarding this intrusion, possibly realizing they had overstepped, the association published a bank account number for donations to improve the conditions for animals on Beganović's property, but they did not issue an apology.

COMPETITORS OR COLLABORATORS?

We did not have the opportunity to inquire about the financing of the Panter Association. They sell t-shirts and have an account open for donations. The expansion of their operations is evident from a call in which they seek individuals for various positions, including organisation managers, social media managers, membership registry managers, animal protection managers, and PR and communications experts. According to available information, this year they applied for funding intended for non-profit organisations, but their application was rejected due to the lack of a contract with a bank.

When it comes to "hunting" paedophiles, Panter has competition in a group called Fortis. According to information on social media pages, the headquarters of this organisation is in Tuzla. Fortis also posts videos featuring individuals they claim are prone to pedophilia, though most of these videos, judging by the content of the conversations, were made in Serbia.

Panter has publicly denied any connection to this organisation, claiming that behind it are individuals with a criminal past.

The emergence of the Panter Association, at least at the beginning of its activities, greatly resembled the beginnings of a similar movement in Serbia. This movement is called Levijatan. It was founded in 2015 as an organisation advocating for animal rights and protection, but over time, it transformed into an extremist right-wing organisation prone to violence.

The existence of contacts between these two groups is indicated by posts on Panter's page.

Over time, Levijatan's targets expanded to include migrants, Roma, LGBT individuals, and political opponents.

"Members of Levijatan have often been arrested for violent behaviour but were quickly released, and the group's leader, Pavle Bihali, boasted of good connections with Aleksandar Vulin. The ruling Progressive regime uses this group to infiltrate opposition protests and cause disturbances. Last year, the prosecution allegedly initiated a process to ban Levijatan, but nothing has happened so far, and Bihali claims that no legal process is being conducted against them, nor are they under investigation. It has long been clear to the Serbian public that Levijatan is not a group of animal lovers, but rather an extremist right-wing group," explains Tomislav Marković, a journalist from Belgrade, for Žurnal.

"Such organisations are never spontaneous. They are created by intelligence agencies or political parties, usually far-right. The goal is to show the inefficiency of governing instruments, especially the judicial system, and as a result, defamation and elimination of political opponents. These are so-called patriotic organisations that become visible through their external symbols. Members dress in a uniform way that resembles civilian clothing, and they are easily recognised because they operate in groups. Example: the American Proud Boys. They started by persecuting and harassing homosexuals, then paedophiles, and later liberal politicians by disrupting their gatherings. Their actions reached a peak during the attempted coup and attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2020, when they almost overthrew a legally elected government," reminds sociologist Sead Pašić.

No one is predicting that the Panter Association will transform into such a group. It is possible that their initial motivations were genuinely altruistic, but they must realise in time how thin the line is between the fame and support they receive from social media commentators and being exploited for other purposes.

As dissatisfied as they may be with the performance and results of law enforcement institutions, they cannot usurp their authority. Providing support with timely and accurate information about criminal acts, without interfering with the legally prescribed authority, can be commendable. Otherwise, if they do not urgently change their recently adopted manner of operation, the members of Panter risk finding themselves on the defendant's bench.

(zurnal.info)