HDZ BiH against punishing genocide deniers!

Amendments to the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which provide for prison sentences for genocide deniers, and which were submitted to the parliamentary procedure by Denis Bećirović (SDP), were before the state parliamentarians today.

- The ban on candidacy applies to all those convicted of war crimes before the Hague Tribunal, all relevant courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as courts in other countries. Public denial, approval, justification, or negation of genocide - provides for prison sentences from six months to three years.

Nikola Lovrinović (HDZ) stated that he would be against this law, as it is unclear to him what "public denial" means.

- What is public denial, is it a park, is it a cafe... Is the ban on opinion being reintroduced through the back door? I think the law should be returned to the Council of Ministers for revision. I will not support this law - said Lovrinović.

Denis Bećirović said that he expected a different stance from Lovrinović, who is in a party that declares itself a bearer of European values.

- You should have seen how Austria and Germany regulated this... As for returning it to the Council of Ministers, we in the opposition do not need to worry about that. I urge you to support the law anyway, because we all need something like this - said Bećirović.

Hazim Rančić, an SDA representative, emphasized that this proposal is European practice.

- It is unacceptable that Lovrinović disputes such a thing - said Rančić.

Šefik Džaferović (SDA) noted that this law is based on the BiH Constitution and should be supported in this house.

- This law is needed by BiH and is in the interest of BiH. We should have and adopt this law. I have not seen any inaccuracies that could cause problems in practice - said Džaferović.

Sadik Ahmetović (Independent Bloc) pointed out that he understands the need for what Bećirović proposed, but that it is evident that this parliament does not have the strength to face what is normal in the entire world.

- Today we have these replies from SDA and HDZ, and they do not agree on anything except in saying that the Council of Ministers is working well. I don't know what colleague Šemsudin Mehmedović thinks about this - said Ahmetović.