Republika Srpska Entity Vice-President Ramiz Salkic warned that the insistence of the Bosnia-Herzegovina’s entity Republika Srpska (RS) on marking January 9th as an entity day is unconstitutional, illegal and immoral, and called on BiH’s High Representative Valentin Inzko to take sanctions against the organizers of the marking.
He recalled that the Constitutional Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina has repeatedly assessed that marking January 9th as the day of the RS entity in Bosnia-Herzegovina is not in accordance with the Constitution of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
He also noted that earlier the Venice Commission had stated that the choice of commemorating January 9th as an entity day was fueled by feelings and events of importance to only one nation – Serbian, while other communities consider it a painful memory, the entity vice president’s cabinet stated.
“The Constitutional Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina has repeatedly repealed portions of the Entity Holidays Act and the Entity Day Act. Continued commemoration is a violation of the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Those who violate the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina directly violate the Dayton Peace Agreement , because according to the same, the decisions of the Constitutional Court are binding and final and must be implemented, ” Salkic pointed out.
The declaration, adopted on January 9, 1992, commenced the implementation of a plan for Bosnia-Herzegovina and the implementation of a criminal policy, the consequences of which are persecution, rape, murder, camps, mass graves, terrorism, a joint criminal enterprise and genocide.
“I urge the High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, in accordance with his mandate and authority, to respond and take sanctions against the organizers of the 9th January commemoration as an entity day for violating the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is a violation of the Dayton Peace Agreement.”
Salkic also called on judicial institutions mandated to prosecute and sanction those who continue to violate the Constitutional Court’s decision on January 9, but at the same time spread national hatred.
He called on citizens, who disagree with those commemorating January 9, for activism and for taking steps to remind the public of the fatal consequences of January 9, 1992.