Ugljanin for Patria: After changes in Serbia, we will build the autonomy of Sandžak

(Patria) - Positive changes are happening in Serbia, to our great joy, said Sulejman Ugljanin, president of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) of Sandžak, for Patria.

"Citizens of Serbia, who previously elected Šešelj, Milošević, and Vučić, have said stop. It can no longer be like this, we demand accountability. Mass civil protests have begun, and in Sandžak, on March 9th, we supported the civil protests in Serbia and all their clearly defined demands with a protest walk," says Ugljanin.

The leader of the Sandžak SDA adds that the people in Sandžak have many more reasons to protest than citizens across Serbia.

"We protest against the tolerant attitude of Serbian state bodies towards crimes against Bosniaks. We protest because the state bodies of Serbia - the president, the government, the Assembly - deny the genocide against Bosniaks in BiH, and also deny all crimes against the Bosniaks of Sandžak (Sjeverin, Kukurevići, Štrpci) and all other crimes against Bosniaks, which creates a sense of uncertainty and insecurity among Bosniaks. With this protest, we have expressed our disagreement and protest against the discrimination of Bosniaks in Sandžak in employment in the prosecutor's office, police, and other state bodies," explains Ugljanin.

At the same time, Ugljanin notes that they support the changes in Serbian society, from the average citizen to academics, "who have clearly begun to free themselves from fear and clearly started saying what we have been saying for a long time."

"They too have felt the whip on their backs from parallel power structures in the prosecutor's office, judiciary, state police, and army. These parallel structures are now starting to arrest, because they are now the de facto power," believes the leader of SDA Sandžak.

Ugljanin recalls the document "Agreement with the People" and the promise of its signatories to organize a large people's protest in Belgrade on April 13th if their demand - the departure of the current regime and the organization of free elections at all levels - is not met.

"After these changes, we expect to be able to build the autonomy of Sandžak and restore the status of a constituent people to Bosniaks, all with a young and normal generation of the Serbian people, whose hands are clean of crimes against Bosniaks, but whose conscience is burdened by the crimes that someone else committed against Bosniaks in their name," Ugljanin stated.

Ugljanin also states that after the April 13th protest, "the process of effective and visible changes in Serbia will begin."

"We are participating in this with friends in the National Assembly of Serbia. We are in a joint parliamentary group with Čedomir Jovanović, Nenad Čanak, and others, and we have good political partners in Serbia with whom we work, but they are out of favor with the regime and their voices are not heard," concluded Ugljanin in his conversation with Patria.