Ramiz Salkic, the Vice President of the entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Republika Srpska (RS), sent a letter to the High Representative (HR) Christian Schmidt urging him to take steps to eliminate asymmetric solutions in the entity constitutions, and systemic discrimination which is being implemented by the RS government.
“The decision of the Constitutional Court of BiH on the constituency of the people on the entire territory of BiH in this entity has not been implemented essentially but only formally. Bosniaks and Croats do not have constitutional and institutional protection in RS as Serbs in the Federation of BiH (FBiH).These asymmetric solutions that are within the competence of the House of Peoples and the Council of Peoples, as well as the president and vice president in both entities should be eliminated if we are talking about real equality, ” noted Salkic.
He thinks that “systemic discrimination based on the lack of a constitutional possibility to protect the interests of Bosniaks, implemented by the RS entity authorities, leaves drastic consequences for the number of Bosniaks living now compared to the number of Bosniaks who lived in this entity 10 years ago.”
“The goal of the authorities in this entity is to quietly pursue war goals and ethnically cleanse the RS entity and turn it into purely Serb territory in the next ten years. Therefore, they implement systemic discrimination by preventing Bosniaks from getting jobs in public institutions, entity, and local authorities. This is why they prevented between 10.000 and 15.000 Bosniaks from gaining employment in these institutions, ” he wrote.
Also, he believes that “discrimination in the Orthodox educational process has forced Bosniaks living in this entity to seek alternative ways to educate their children. Apart from court rulings in this entity, the BiH Constitutional Court, discrimination has been continued through denial of Bosnian language and school lectures in Bosnian.”
The RS vice president pointed out that the continued glorification of war criminals and the stimulation of denial of proven and convicted genocide that was committed by Bosnian Serb political representatives against Bosniaks represent the final phase of the genocide.
“Latest government activities in this entity, with the full support of Bosnian Serb opposition politicians, have deeply concerned and disturbed Bosniaks and Croats living here. The adopted law in the National Assembly of RS (NARS) on punishing those who tell the truth and the facts about the creation of this entity further deepens the gap between the authorities in this entity and those who advocate truth and justice, and these are primarily victims of cruel crimes that occurred throughout this entity,” he wrote.
He called on HR to respond to these items and ensure full implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement, which guarantees return without discrimination and pressure on those who have returned, on any grounds.
“The authorities of this entity continuously discriminate people who returned, some 25 years ago, and treat them as returnees and do not allow integration into the system in order to make life easier for themselves, their families, their compatriots, and all other citizens,” Salkic concluded, Klix.ba writes.
E.Dz.
