Smajić: Those who paid tribute before the monument to war criminal Mladić must be prevented from holding leadership positions in BiH

(Patria) - The behaviour of the Deputy Minister of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Aleksandar Goganović, and the Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of BiH, Lieutenant General Gojko Knežević, who paid tribute before the monument to war criminal Ratko Mladić in Kalinovik, represents a new scandalous and anti-civilisational act, a violation of the rule of law and disregard for the verdicts of international courts, said Džemal Smajić, delegate (SBiH) in the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH.

“The participation of BiH Armed Forces officials in glorifying such a person is an insult to the victims, but also a message that they want to continue the policy charted by the very war criminals to whom they paid homage. We must prevent such individuals from holding leadership positions in BiH, and they should be urgently dismissed,” said Smajić, calling on the competent authorities to do so immediately and without delay.

He expects the Prosecutor's Office of BiH to resolutely take action against all forces that glorify perpetrators of genocide.

“I will remind you that just a few months ago, despite the rulings of the Constitutional Court of BiH, Knežević participated in a ceremonial academy held to mark the celebration of January 9, the unconstitutional Day of Republika Srpska. To this day, the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, although reports have been filed against him, has taken no action. It is high time he was prosecuted,” said Smajić.

He considers it deplorable that the provocation came just days before the vote on the resolution on the Srebrenica genocide.

“Instead of Serbia, which fosters such a situation, supporting the resolution on the Srebrenica genocide, its president, with his Belgrade regime, places collective responsibility on the backs of the Serbian people,” concluded Smajić.