GOGANOVIĆ IN MOSTAR: SEIZING SERB PROPERTY IS LEGAL VIOLENCE AND DIRECT VIOLATION OF DAYTON

MOSTAR, FEBRUARY 18 /SRNA/ – The Deputy Minister of Defence in the Council of Ministers Aleksandar Goganović has warned today in Mostar that attempted unlawful registration of Serb-owned property, religious buildings, and Orthodox cemeteries is a serious attack on fundamental human rights and a deliberate erasure of traces of Serbs' existence in this area.

Goganović told SRNA that the Cathedral Church and the clergy serving there represent a spiritual refuge for the Serb people in Mostar and undeniable proof of centuries-long presence of the Serbs in the Neretva valley, emphasizing that this is systemic legal violence, not administrative misunderstandings. "Such actions are in direct contradiction to the Dayton Peace Agreement and international law, which guarantee religious freedoms as a fundamental human right," Goganović stressed. He stated that he will use his institutional position and contacts with the international community to ensure that these issues are addressed at the top levels. "The Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serb people in the other entity will have the full and unequivocal support of the Republika Srpska leadership, headed by President Milorad Dodik. We have already informed the Trump administration about this issue and the same will be done with our European partners in the coming period," Goganović said. According to him, the attacks on the Serbian Orthodox Church coming from official Sarajevo are not accidental. "They know very well that the Serbian Orthodox Church has the strength to unite the Serb people in defending our tradition, Orthodoxy, and Republika Srpska. That is precisely why the Church is a target – because it is a pillar of identity and unity," Goganović emphasized. He concluded that without the protection of holy sites, property, and cemeteries there can be no reconciliation or trust, and that remaining silent in the face of such developments means assuming responsibility for the further deepening of divisions in BiH.