Narod i Pravda: We will file an appeal with the Constitutional Court of BiH, RS threatens peace

(Patria) - Narod i Pravda strongly condemns the destructive behavior of the authorities of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian entity of Republika Srpska. The laws and conclusions adopted early this morning by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska are shameful, unconstitutional, and a direct threat to the preservation of peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, the party announced today.

"The Election Law of RS, in the form in which it was adopted, is unconstitutional because it directly derogates state competencies that are clearly prescribed by the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It attempts to build a parallel legal system, thereby directly destroying the constitutional and legal order of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina is an integral part of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the authorities in Republika Srpska are directly threatening peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region. Other laws adopted at the same session, such as laws relating to immunity or referendums, have a similar form and effect.

Representatives of Narod i Pravda will use all legal mechanisms to protect the constitutional order and preserve peace. This includes adequate appeals to the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina as the highest judicial instance whose primary task is precisely the protection of the state's constitutional order. We will also react appropriately to the Office of the High Representative in BiH (OHR) as well as to all other international institutions. However, the foundation of existence and the guarantee of the survival of Bosnia and Herzegovina remain all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina who see this state as a guarantee of their own survival. We call on the institutions to show that they have the capacity and will to protect the state from such an assault. The Prosecutor's Office of BiH and the Court of BiH have a legal obligation to react to the denial of genocide, which is a criminal offense under current regulations, especially concerning individuals who participated in ordering and drafting a report based on lies.

We consider the adoption of conclusions and the acceptance of a completely unfounded report that directly denies the genocide against Bosniaks in Srebrenica to be extremely shameful. There are no legal terms that could describe such an act – it is the degradation of the National Assembly of RS to the lowest levels, which the democratic world rejects and despises.

We have repeatedly clearly shown our readiness for dialogue, agreement, and cooperation with the aim of further building and strengthening the institutions and the state of BiH for the benefit of all its peoples and citizens. But at the same time, we clearly and unequivocally point out that the ruling coalition in RS, and especially its leader Milorad Dodik, are pushing the entire entity and all citizens towards complete isolation and sanctions. The latest moves clearly show that they are leading the people into painful isolation and extreme insecurity. Serbia's support for such a path is primarily condemnable but also a warning that all regional cooperation must be based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of BiH.

What is not in question is a unified and sovereign Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite all the assaults and a completely unreasonable approach from RS, state institutions are surviving and slowly improving and being built. In addition to opening accession negotiations for EU membership, today we are one step closer to NATO membership. Threats from RS have influenced the strengthening of the military presence of NATO member countries in BiH within the EUFOR mission, and domestic institutions, from the Armed Forces of BiH to the Constitutional Court of BiH and the Court of BiH, which all accused appear before equally regardless of whether they are declaratively recognized or not, are also making a significant contribution to preserving the state.

The authorities of RS, if the well-being of their own citizens is their interest, must return to processes from which all citizens derive visible benefits and which guarantee steps forward. Otherwise, they will clearly send a message that for the sake of their own interests, they are ready to sacrifice the interests of their citizens," the NIP announced.