The Republika Srpska (RS) police are again questioning former members of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) who are from Podrinje in the capacity of witnesses, in cases that, as stated in the summons, are related to war crimes against civilians.
Namely, in the past few months, a group of returnees to Podrinje, who were members of the ARBiH, continuously received calls from the police from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the RS for hearings as witnesses.
Veterans’ associations and the Truth Justice Reconciliation Foundation (Istina Pravda Pomirenje) from Tuzla claim that this is abuse committed by inspectors who interrogate Podrinje residents.
”The problem is that these people are not told why they are being called for questioning, and on the call itself says that they are being called as witnesses for war crimes against civilians. The inspectors who interrogate them are abusing their position because they are questioning people practically for their entire war journey, that is, from the day they wore the war uniform to the day they took it off. This is not right, because the competent prosecutor’s office does not ask for such information from them, but about certain events that happened,” says Jesenko Alic, President of the Truth Justice Reconciliation Foundation.
”People are questioned for hours, they get calls five or six times and we think it is a violation of their basic human rights. The problem here is that the inspectors do not even tell the witnesses what their legal rights are, and the calls arrive only a few hours before the hearing,” Alic adds.
According to the Truth Justice Reconciliation Foundation, approximately 150 Podrinje residents have given their statements so far. Due to possible embezzlement, the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs of Tuzla Canton (TC) joined the case, which, together with the Truth Justice Reconciliation Foundation, provided free legal aid to the people of Podrinje.
”Our help goes in the direction that we provide a lawyer who goes with these people who are at the hearings, and we are also working on a program that, with the help of a non-governmental organization, has provided psychologists to help our people. You have to admit that it is not an easy situation when you go to court for a speeding ticket, let alone to be called and questioned about where you were on June 1st, 1992,” said Cantonal Minister of Veterans Affairs Zoran Blagojevic.
The President of the Coordination of Veterans’ Associations of the TC, Fahrudin Hasanovic, believes that the whole situation related to the interrogation of former fighters is in fact another crime committed against Bosniaks.
”The first crime was committed when Bosniaks were arrested, taken to camps, where they were beaten and tortured, and women were raped and children killed. The second crime, ie genocide, was committed when we were under the protection of the United Nations (UN), and now we have this third one in which the obstruction of returnees is being carried out, that is, people who want to return to their homes. In a way, they intimidate these people not to be in their courtyards,” Hasanovic stated.
This is not the first time that Bosniak returnees have been questioned by inspectors from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the RS. It was pointed out yesterday that most of the interrogated ex-fighters are afraid to speak publicly about this case, Klix.ba writes.
E.Dz.
