'Society for Threatened Peoples': Schmidt in BiH Favours Dodik and Čović, Who Have Not Renounced War Crimes, and Strengthens the Role of Serbia and Croatia!

(Patria) - The Society for Threatened Peoples, an international non-governmental organisation that brings together human rights activists, has warned the Bundestag that High Representative Christian Schmidt in BiH is “pursuing a policy of division”. In a letter addressed to Michael Roth, Chairman of the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee, the organisation stated that Christian Schmidt in Bosnia and Herzegovina supports the strengthening of the role of Serbia and Croatia, Istraga.ba reports.

“Our human rights organisation is following Mr. Schmidt's behaviour with concern. This is mainly because we notice that it does not strengthen democrats, but dangerous nationalists. The result is ethnic nationalism and divisions. And while in the Republika Srpska an orientation towards Moscow has long been propagated and practised, the new strategic approach and plans of the Biden administration in the Western Balkans, which Mr. Schmidt is implementing in Bosnia, point to a dangerous direction. It is unacceptable that, supported by real political and pragmatic interests, Serbia is being courted, and Croatia is being called upon to be an important factor in resolving the cemented political crisis in BiH. Meanwhile, legitimate amendments to the Constitution of Bosnia have been ignored and the future of the (already) divided country has been called into question. Many experts on this topic view this development with the same concern as we do”, it is stated in the letter sent to the Bundestag on 28 February.

The Society for Threatened Peoples further states that “Christian Schmidt advocated for a change to the election law, thereby strengthening the Croatian Democratic Union party in Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZ BiH), which has never distanced itself from the war crimes committed in the name of the Croatian para-state 'Herceg-Bosna'.”

“On the contrary, in the past, HDZ leaders (Dragan Čović and Borjana Krišto) openly glorified convicted war criminal Dario Kordić”, the letter states, recalling that the leaders of Herceg-Bosna were sentenced in The Hague to 111 years in prison for war crimes.

The organisation further emphasises that “a number of experts consider it proven that Mr. Schmidt, with his measures on election day (2 October 2022), primarily strengthened the HDZ, so Dragan Čović and Borjana Krišto took over important functions in the state.”

“A few days ago in Čapljina near Mostar, it could be seen how ultranationalist forces are again spreading hatred and hate speech against Muslims”, the Society for Threatened Peoples recalls.

Mr. Schmidt was, they further point out, awarded the “Order of Ante Starčević” by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković in 2020.

“In addition to the HDZ, High Representative Christian Schmidt also favoured the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) of Milorad Dodik, which together with the HDZ is creating a dangerous alliance against the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and denies the genocide in Srebrenica”, write the Society for Threatened Peoples, recalling that the Bundestag, in its resolution, stated that the HDZ and SNSD are “the successors of those forces that committed crimes in the war in BiH with the aim of establishing a Greater Croatia and a Greater Serbia.”

Our human rights organisation, the Society for Threatened Peoples further states, warns that the situation in BiH is deteriorating.

“The United Nations recently expressed its great concern about the consequences of revisionism and denial of war crimes in Bosnia. The UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, stated after a multi-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 20 January 2023 that she is deeply concerned about the way in which revisionism, denial, polarisation and rhetoric of institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina are creating conditions for the growth of violent extremism that could potentially lead to terrorism”, it is written in the letter submitted to the Bundestag, before which Christian Schmidt is expected to be heard soon.

The High Representative should, they emphasise, oppose this worrying development.

“Instead, he promotes it. Therefore, we ask you to take our warnings seriously. Unfortunately, he has not adequately responded to our fact-based criticisms of his numerous failures – including ignoring fundamental judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (Sejdić/Finci, Zornić and others), the continued discrimination against Jews, Roma and others ('Others').
Now, ladies and gentlemen, we ask you to activate yourselves for a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural Bosnia. Please use your possibilities to influence Mr. Schmidt – or to ensure a change at the important position in the Office of the High Representative of the international community (OHR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, conclude the Society for Threatened Peoples.