Lendo: January 9 celebrates ethnic cleansing, war crimes and genocide

(Patria) - FBiH Vice President Refik Lendo commented today on social media about the announced celebration of January 9, the unconstitutional day of the smaller BiH entity, Republika Srpska.

"Historical facts, backed by the force of final court verdicts of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, have confirmed that January 9 marks the beginning of an armed attack and aggression against the sovereign, independent and internationally recognized state, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

By marking January 9 as 'RS Day,' the authorities of that Bosnian-Herzegovinian entity are actually celebrating the most serious crimes against international law, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and genocide committed against Bosniaks.

The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has determined that the marking of January 9 is not in accordance with the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I remind you that the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina are final and binding, and that failure to implement them is a criminal offense.

In this regard, the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has a legal obligation to prosecute all those responsible for marking January 9 and who thereby act contrary to the Decision of the Constitutional Court, and the court to punish them in accordance with the law.

The High Representative has a duty to ensure the implementation of the Dayton Agreement, and to exercise his powers throughout the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I remind you that last year the High Representative announced that the next January 9 would not be marked in the same way as the previous one.

However, we are witnessing different announcements and preparations for a manifestation that is financed with public money, and the High Representative is doing nothing about it.

Such an attitude by the High Representative strengthens the position of retrograde forces and their belief that the legal and political violence they are carrying out will not be sanctioned by those who are obliged to react to such behavior.

We will insist persistently that the competent institutions react and prosecute all those responsible for non-implementation of the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also that those who have a mandate to take care of the implementation of the Dayton Agreement actually start exercising that mandate," Lendo said.