MAZALICA: SUPPORT FOR AMENDMENTS TO CRIMINAL CODE

BANJA LUKA, JULY 9 /SRNA/ - The amendments to the Criminal Code of Republika Srpska, which envisage a prison sentence of up to three years for glorifying the NDH and the so-called Army of BiH, should not offend any nation, and the SNSD will support them because they point to the extent to which such symbols undermine coexistence and fuel ethnic hatred, the party's parliamentary caucus leader Srđan Mazalica said.

"Thanks to our historians, we have seen how much the ideology of Ustashism and the NDH pose a threat to peace, stability and coexistence," Mazalica said during the debate in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska. Mazalica pointed out that, on the other hand, displaying the flag of the so-called Army of BiH, under which war crimes against Serbs were committed, and their property was burned, incites ethnic hatred. "That flag is actively used for provocation in Republika Srpska, and that is grounds for introducing this as a criminal offence. This flag can lead to conflicts and represents something undesirable," Mazalica emphasized. President of United Srpska Nenad Stevandić stated that anything that should be commemorated should not contain fascist symbols, noting that such symbols are banned throughout Europe. "This is not directed against any nation. Everyone will interpret this as they see fit, but it is the same in Europe. Nazism and something that committed mass crimes cannot be glorified. We do not hate anyone; this is simply an expression of self-respect. We have many political differences, but I am glad that important issues unite us," Stevandić emphasized. Head of the SDS caucus Ognjen Bodiroga expressed hope that these amendments to the law would be adopted. "SDS was the first to initiate the adoption of this resolution on the NDH. We also accepted the amendments proposed by the SNSD to include the so-called Army of BiH. Muslims committed greater crimes against Serbs than Croats," Bodiroga said. People's Front MP Željko Dubravac said that these amendments to the law should be adopted in order to ease tensions. "Fears from the past should serve as a warning to us so that something like that does not happen again. We need to turn to the challenges and problems of everyday life," Dubravac said. Đorđe Vučinić, an MP from the Justice and Order List, said that "he does not support anyone who provokes with lilies, but neither does he support anyone who provokes with a tricolour flag." "We need reconciliation," Vučinić said. MP Ramiz Salkić claimed that the flag that is being sought to be banned is "the historical flag of BiH" and that, as he put it, "the lily grows in all parts of BiH."