Head of Disabled Veterans Association questioned over threats to US Ambassador

N1

The head of the association of disabled war veterans of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Federation entity, Mujo Aganovic, confirmed to the media on Tuesday that he had been questioned by the police for publicly threatening the US ambassador over his support to the LGBTI Pride parade that was held for the first time in Sarajevo on Saturday.

Aganovic was one of the speakers on the Day of Traditional Family, which was organised by a conservative religious organisation before the parade, calling the parade “terrorising of the citizens”.

“No one has the right to parade publicly, provoke and terrorise the citizens, not even the US ambassador with a rainbow flag on the US Embassy,” Aganovic said on Saturday. He said that Ambassador Eric Nelson was a guest in his country and he was his host.

Aganovic said on Tuesday that he had been questioned by the police on the suspicion that in his speech he incited to violence, adding that he stood by every word he had said.

“Mentioning the US Ambassador in my speech is my right as much as it is his right to demonstrate his personal sexual orientation in my country and impose it on three million citizens of this country, using his diplomatic status, he and everyone else,” Aganovic told a local news website.

Apart from the US Ambassador, who is a declared homosexual, nearly all diplomatic representatives of influential countries accredited to Bosnia expressed their support for the Pride parade, and the British, French and Italian ambassadors personally participated in the march.

Seventeen embassies, the EU Delegation and the UN Mission later issued a joint statement welcoming the Pride parade.

Aganovic said that the foreign embassies and the 3,000 people who took part in the parade actually promoted “a parade of shame” and insulted Allah. “We won't allow that,” he said, adding that he was ashamed because the Pride parade was held in Sarajevo.