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Despite numerous warnings from the High
Representative and other international officials that the Republika
Srpska Day is unconstitutional, Milorad Dodik organized a two-day
celebration of the Republika Srpska Day on January 8th and 9th. This
is a provocation not only for the region but also for international
actors firmly committed to preserving the integrity and sovereignty
of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Belgrade openly supports Milorad Dodik's
separatist aspirations, encourages the overthrow of the
constitutional order of the neighboring state of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, and legitimizes crimes against Bosniaks and Croats
during the 1992-1995 war. In doing so, Vučić announced that
"significant tasks lie ahead in preserving the Serbian language,
Cyrillic script, common traditional values of the Serbian people,
and the culture of remembering the suffering of Serbs," as well as
"further strengthening of our economic, political, and all other
ties, from building highways, railways, to strengthening
institutional cooperation at all levels and in all areas." These
goals are also outlined in the Charter of the Serbian Cultural
Space, which is one of the documents officially working towards the
unification of Serbia and the Republika Srpska. Aleksandar Vulin, as
the main spokesperson for the "Serbian World" project, reiterated on
this occasion that the "process of uniting Serbs has begun and
cannot be stopped."
The Declaration on the Proclamation of the
Republika Srpska in BiH was adopted on January 9, 1992, and four
months later, the RS Assembly adopted the official war platform on
the 6 strategic goals of the "Serbian people in BiH," which war
commander Ratko Mladić qualified as genocidal. The authors of this
Declaration are convicted war criminals, including Radovan Karadžić,
Momčilo Krajišnik, and Biljana Plavšić. In Bosnia, this day is
marked as essentially the beginning of ethnic cleansing and genocide
against the non-Serb population.
Due to all the aforementioned reasons, the
commemoration of January 9th in Belgrade and the legitimization of
the war policy and crimes against the non-Serb population pose a
serious threat to Bosniaks living in Serbia. Therefore, the threats
against Bosniaks during Christmas in Priboj require an urgent
response from the state. The prosecution must conduct a fast and
intensive investigation against the instigators and those inciting
violence against Muslims in this multi-ethnic municipality. The
judicial process must be efficient and transparent. The continuous
campaign of ethnic hatred against Bosniaks in the Priboj
municipality requires action from other state organs and the entire
community to prevent the escalation of violence against Muslims in
this municipality and preserve good interethnic relations in
Sandžak.
The overflight of U.S. planes over Banja Luka on
January 8th is a symbolic warning, but if concrete measures and
sanctions, i.e., the removal of Milorad Dodik from the political
life of Bosnia and Herzegovina, do not follow, the international
community will be complicit in what may follow numerous provocations
supported by Belgrade.
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