EMBASSIES SHOULD STATE THEIR STANCE ON EXPRESSING HOSTILITY TOWARD SERB REPRESENTATIVES

SARAJEVO, MARCH 20 /SRNA/ – SNSD deputies to the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, Sanja Vulić and Milorad Kojić, cited in an open letter to embassies in BiH that they expect a clear and unambiguous response regarding the incident in the Parliamentary Assembly that took place on March 16, when the FBiH journalists expressed open hostility and intolerance toward them.

The letter states that the incident, when the FBiH journalists labeled Serb representatives as "Chetniks," represents a serious violation of the dignity of the institution and the basic principles of democratic conduct. "Journalists public address, in which elected representatives were labeled as `genuine Chetniks,` does not constitute a mere value-based or historical characterization, but rather a crude and distorted qualification aimed at discrediting and excluding them," the letter emphasizes. Vulić and Kojić point out that such wording clearly implies that, as Serb representatives, they are neither welcome nor equal in institutions, thereby expressing open hostility and intolerance. "This is precisely where its weight and danger lie, as it creates an atmosphere of uncertainty in which it is impossible to predict the course further reactions may take. It is particularly worrying that this incident does not appear to be an isolated case, but rather a reflection of a broader environment in which such rhetoric is tolerated," the letter, SRNA has had insight in, reads. It adds that under such circumstances, plenary sessions of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly are increasingly taking on the character of high-risk events. "As elected representatives, we increasingly come to institutions with a sense of fear and insecurity, with the impression that we are not equal and that our basic democratic and parliamentary rights are being denied in practice. This raises serious questions about the actual equality of the constituent peoples and the conditions under which it is possible to carry out our duties without obstruction," the letter notes. Two days ago, SNSD deputies in the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, Sanja Vulić and Milorad Kojić, filed a criminal complaint with the Prosecutor's Office of BiH against Hayat Television journalist Emerin Ahmetašević for inciting national, racial, and religious hatred, discord, and intolerance. The complaint states that on March 16, during a debate on amendments to the Law on Excise Duties, Ahmetašević made insulting remarks about the deputies, calling them "genuine Chetniks". In a later conversation in the lobby, commenting on an attack on a motorcyclist from Serbia in Sarajevo, Ahmetašević said, "serves him right".