Deputies in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, Ramiz Salkić and Almir Hurtić, warned today that attacks on Bosniaks in the Bosnian entity Republika Srpska have intensified and become more brutal this year, and returnees are not guaranteed safety.
They organized a press conference in Banja Luka after the last case when a minor boy was beaten in Osmaci Police Station in Republika Srpska because, according to his father, he did not blame the boys from the village for an event he did not attend. The boy was diagnosed with head, neck, left arm and leg injuries.
Salkić assessed that the attacks and threats against Bosniaks that are happening are a direct consequence of the policy advocated and implemented by the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, and implemented by the government of that entity on the ground.
“Systemic discrimination against Bosniaks is continuously carried out in all spheres of society. The behavior of the police, not only in this case but also in numerous other cases, violates the constitutional position of the constituent peoples and citizens because the police behaves like the police of the Orthodox entity, which has no basis in the Constitution and laws,” said Salkić.
The MPs emphasized that the Ministry of Internal Affairs does not respect the Constitution, which predicted and prescribed the national structure of employees in the ministries, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs, according to the 1991 census. Namely, out of 7,000 employees in the Ministry, there are only 330 Bosniaks and 62 Croats.
They underlined that the behavior of the police in the Osmaci Police Station towards the boy, who was questioned without the presence of a guardian or a lawyer, clearly shows a violation of procedures and the law, and those who did it should be sanctioned and removed from the police structures.
That is why they requested that the MUP remove those who abused and mistreated the boy, to implement without delay the constitutional provision on national representation in police structures, and to inform the public about the outcome of the investigations and the perpetrators of the attack on Bosniaks in Višegrad, the harassment of Bosniaks in Bratunac, the attempted murder of a Bosniak in Bratunac and what actions they took.
They also invited the high representative, the Delegation of the European Union, representatives of the Embassy of the United States of America to start the process of redefining the organization of police structures in such a way that it is at the service of all citizens, and not an extended arm of politics.
Earlier, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the RS condemned all forms of violent behavior and announced that, in accordance with that, if the responsibility of police officers is proven, they will be dealt with in accordance with the law, in terms of initiating disciplinary and criminal liability.
