A new high-security detention complex on Mount Igman near Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina opened after EU funding, completing the wider prison complex and adding space for 150 detainees.
The facility in Blažuj includes Object C of the detention unit, a service building and an administration building linked to Sarajevo’s semi-open correctional facility, the European External Action Service announced on Thursday.
Construction and equipment for the new buildings were financed by the European Union with about 9.5 million Bosnian convertible marks (BAM), while the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina contributed an additional BAM 5 million.
The new facilities cover 4,500 square metres and include fire detection, access control and monitoring systems, as well as energy-efficiency features.
The complex is intended to house both people held in detention while awaiting court decisions and convicted prisoners serving sentences.
Construction began in 2020
Work to expand the Igman detention complex began in 2020 and was tied to relocating a long-standing detention unit from central Sarajevo, the EEAS said.
Sarajevo Prison director Munib Isaković said an occupancy permit was obtained at the beginning of 2026 and that the newly opened part of Facility C has capacity for 150 people.
A total of BAM 20,964,053 has been invested in the project, including the remaining part of Facility C, a service building, an internal access road and public lighting, Isaković added.
EU support also included an audiovisual surveillance system, a specialised secure transport vehicle and a digitalisation project linking the facility with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ministry of Justice and other institutions for data exchange, the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina said.
