The Vice-President of Bosnia's Republika Srpska (RS) entity, Ramiz Salkic, said on Saturday that the continuous unconstitutional celebration of the Day of Republika Srpska on January 9 creates an atmosphere of insecurity and that it irritates victims of persecution, serious crimes and genocide.

Despite repeated Constitutional Court bans and criticism by Bosniaks and the international community, the predominantly ethnic Serb part of the country, Republika Srpska, celebrates the disputed holiday every year.

Vice President Ramiz Salkic said that the celebration is spreading religious and national hatred and intolerance towards non-Serb citizens and that it violates the law.

“These activities require a reaction from the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he said. Having in mind that the prosecution has not reacted, “I am using this opportunity to urge them to launch an investigation against individuals responsible for the disobedience of the rulings of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the violations of the Dayton Peace Agreement, for jeopardising the peace, for discrimination, the spreading of religious, national intolerance, illegal acts, misuse of office and embezzlement of budget funds,” Salkic added.

He said that the lack of reaction to the celebrations of this holiday encouraged the RS government to celebrate the day more intensively every year.

Only a proper reaction from the prosecution can stop the celebration of the day of the formalisation of the idea of an ethnic clean Serb territory, which resulted in severe crimes, the persecution of Bosniaks and Croats, with concentration camps, mass killings and genocide, he said.

“The citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina have been waiting for your strong and decisive reaction for too long,” a statement from Salkic’s cabinet said. “This is the right moment for that reaction to happen and for those who are against the rule of law, truth and justice to be stopped.”