The actions of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH against the Minister of Security in the Council of Ministers, Nenad Nešić, are entirely unacceptable to Republika Srpska officials. They believe this is yet another form of pressure against Republika Srpska, orchestrated under the influence of foreign embassies.
They find it suspicious that the arrest occurred just two days after the session of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska and the adoption of conclusions, some of which pertain to the BiH Prosecutor’s Office.
Serb ministers in the Council of Ministers believe that sessions should not be scheduled until explanations are provided.
Condemnations and criticisms poured in throughout the day regarding Nešić’s arrest. For the president of Republika Srpska, this method of operation represents the persecution of Republika Srpska officials with the aim of destabilizing the entity.
- The BiH Prosecutor’s Office has shown that it has become an instrument of certain foreign embassies and Sarajevo’s political circles to target Republika Srpska. If there are suspicions of illegal activities, the procedure should be conducted in accordance with the law, not turned into a media spectacle and a show for the public – said Dodik.
If there is suspicion of unlawful conduct, the process should be led by Republika Srpska institutions, not turned into a witch hunt by the BiH Prosecutor’s Office, emphasized Staša Košarac, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers. He warned that the Prosecutor’s Office is a tool of foreign meddlers used to target Republika Srpska, and the arrest confirms their continued attacks on Republika Srpska representatives in BiH institutions.
- For this reason, it is completely absurd to schedule Council of Ministers sessions until we receive explanations. Why should we sit with people who are opponents of Republika Srpska? We demand an explanation for these actions in recent days. Who’s next? How do they plan to continue their attacks against Serb officials and Republika Srpska institutions? – stressed Košarac.
The DNS, whose leader is Nešić, believes that the BiH Prosecutor’s Office is continuing its practice of political persecution of Serbs as part of a broader strategy to suppress Serb political activity and undermine Republika Srpska’s rights. The same opinion is shared by Darko Banjac, president of NPS, who cooperates with DNS in the National Assembly.
- I believe this is orchestrated by certain embassies, a political pressure exerted through the Prosecutor’s Office and the Court, and that this process has already begun. They want to send a message that anyone can be prosecuted. However, they fail to understand one thing. I know Mr. Nešić; he will not give up his political views or what he said at the podium of the National Assembly, and I certainly won’t give up either. We are aware of what lies ahead – said Banjac.
Nešić’s arrest is yet another example proving that the BiH Prosecutor’s Office is used to create political destabilization and discredit Republika Srpska officials, warned SNSD’s Sanja Vulić.
- This is just another example that you mustn’t be a Serb in Sarajevo. In Sarajevo, if you say no to [U.S. Ambassador] Michael Murphy, if you think independently and defend Serb interests, then you are absolutely targeted by the Prosecutor’s Office, the Court, and various American adversaries of the Serb people – said Vulić.
Reactions to Nešić’s arrest are also coming from Serbia. Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević believes that such actions, initiated by the BiH Prosecutor’s Office, create a sense of insecurity and unease for the Serb people in BiH.
- If this is about something that happened six or seven years ago, why activate it now, at this moment? Let’s see what the Prosecutor’s Office has to say. To clarify, he was detained in East Sarajevo on orders from the Prosecutor’s Office in Sarajevo – said Vučević.
Despite such orders from the Prosecutor’s Office, Republika Srpska representatives in Sarajevo are ready to respond because, as they say, they must remain committed to their fundamental interest – preserving the constitutional capacity of Republika Srpska and its institutions.
Source: RTRS
