ATTACKS ON SERBS, THEIR PROPERTY AND RELIGIOUS SITES IN THE FBiH GO UNPUNISHED

BANJA LUKA, JUNE 27 /SRNA/ – Human Rights Ombudsman of BiH from the Serb people Nevenko Vranješ has warned that attacks on Serbs, their property and religious sites in the FBiH occur almost daily, yet none of these incidents is condemned or the perpetrators brought to justice, which is alarming because it further emboldens those responsible.

Vranješ pointed to the bullet-riddled cross and the attack on the Orthodox cemetery in the village of Zaselje near Travnik, as well as the burning of the Republika Srpska flag at the Inter-Entity Boundary Line in Sarajevom calling on representatives of the international authorities in BiH to speak out and take a position on these incidents. He noted that almost none of the attacks is condemned by the official authorities at the federal, cantonal or local levels, creating the impression that such acts are tolerated and further encouraging perpetrators. Vranješ stressed that Travnik Municipality is a particularly striking example, where the Serb population has almost completely disappeared, whose property, especially in the tourist area of the Vlašić plateau, has been re-registered, confiscated or they have been forced to sell it at extremely low prices. "The few who have returned have no access to water, electricity or roads, and are frequently harassed, insulted and humiliated. One gets the impression that the goal is to force them to give up and permanently leave the areas where they have lived for centuries," said Vranješ, who is also a professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the Banja Luka University. He said that he had held talks with the local authorities, but that nothing had changed for the better. "The latest incident, in which a cross was riddled with bullets and the Orthodox cemetery in the village of Zaselje was attacked, shows that the Serbs of the Travnik area are deprived of even the most basic human rights, such as the right to life, property, home and security," Vranješ said. He added that what must not be absent under any circumstances is a response from the police and judicial authorities. "How is it possible that the police failed to prevent any of these incidents, identify the perpetrators and refer them to the prosecution? How is it possible that the prosecutor's office has not ordered the police to undertake appropriate measures and actions?" Vranješ asked. As he has stated, these are all answers that are expected, which the Serb side should continue to insist om. "We have a similar situation with the burning of the official Republika Srpska flag at the Inter-Entity Boundary Line in Sarajevo. The frequency of such incidents is increasing, their severity is growing, while the reaction of the political authorities, the police and the judiciary is almost non-existent," Vranješ said.