Bosniaks in HNK Assembly condemn erection of monument to criminal Praljak: Who wants Čapljina to be ethnically clean?

(Patria) - The Bosniak Caucus in the Assembly of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNK) has most strongly condemned the erection of a monument to convicted war criminal Slobodan Praljak in Čapljina.

"The unveiling of a monument to Slobodan Praljak represents a scandalous and anti-civilization act of glorifying a war criminal, who was convicted by a final verdict of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for war crimes, specifically a joint criminal enterprise.

Namely, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia established the existence of a joint criminal enterprise with the aim of ethnic cleansing of parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slobodan Praljak, as part of the 'Hague Six,' was finally convicted for crimes against Bosniaks during the aggression against BiH, which, as one of the participants in the joint criminal enterprise, led to monstrous crimes and the most severe violations of international law.

Despite various claims that are being imposed on the public, the Rules of Procedure and Evidence of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia stipulate when a verdict becomes final, and in this case, there is no doubt about the validity of the verdict.

Bosniaks of Čapljina, as returnees, are still marginalized, and the unveiling of the monument represents further humiliation for the surviving returnees.

We call on the leadership of the Čapljina City Administration, especially the Mayor of Čapljina, to remove the monument without delay, and on the investigative bodies to urgently investigate the case and sanction those responsible.

Given that the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Article 145a, paragraphs 2 to 6, clearly prescribes prison sentences for those 'who award recognition, an award, a memorial, any memento or any privilege or similar to a person convicted by a final verdict for genocide, a crime against humanity or a war crime..., or in any way glorifies a person convicted by a final verdict for genocide, a crime against humanity or a war crime, shall be punished with imprisonment of at least three years.'

Given that these facts are known to both the instigators and the perpetrators of this criminal act, who, by their actions, have grossly disturbed public order and peace and once again offended and threatened the Bosniaks of Herzegovina, publicly stating that they are proud of what they were convicted for, instead of condemning it, the Bosniak Caucus calls on the competent authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina to react promptly in preventing such phenomena.

We also call on international institutions in BiH, especially the OHR, to actively engage in permanently resolving this problem throughout BiH.

Bosniaks of Čapljina, who were expelled, tortured, and imprisoned in camps by the HVO and HV during the war, today rightly ask whether the erection of a monument to Slobodan Praljak sends a message that there is no place for them in Čapljina? Who wants Čapljina to be ethnically clean," the statement from the Bosniak Caucus in the HNK Assembly reads.