MASTILOVIĆ: RESOLUTION UNITES SERBS, LEGAL CHANGES TO FOLLOW

BANJA LUKA, MARCH 28 /SRNA/ – Republika Srpska Minister for Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education Draga Mastilović told SRNA that the Resolution condemning and banning the promotion and glorification of the ideology and symbols of the NDH, as well as Ustasha, Nazi, and fascist ideologies and symbols, was necessary because it defined for the first time in such a document what genocide is and who committed it.

Mastilović emphasized that the significance of the Resolution also lies in the fact that its adoption united Serb lawmakers. "I was very proud because we united Serb representatives. We realized that, after all, unity among Serbs is possible on the most important national issues. That made us very pleased," Mastilović said in SRNA's podcast. He stated that the goal of the NDH, as well as the social groups that accepted that ideology, was to cleanse the area from the Drina River to the Adriatic Sea of Serbs. "The Resolution emphasizes that it is adopted in accordance with international law to prevent a new genocide. The glorification of Nazism and fascism is a key indicator that a new genocide could occur if there is no timely response," Mastilović stressed. He added that the Republika Srpska Government should adopt amendments to two laws in this regard. "Оne is the Law on Cemeteries and Funeral Services, which will clearly state that no glorification of Nazi, fascist, or Ustasha ideology will be allowed in Republika Srpska, and that all such monuments must be removed. The second amendment will introduce sanctions for those who glorify these dark ideologies from the Second World War," Mastilović explained. GLORIFICATION OF DARK IDEOLOGIES IS NOT FREEDOM OF SPEECH Mastilović pointed out that hate speech cannot be classified as freedom of speech. "The glorification of dark ideologies cannot be freedom of speech. Freedom of speech can only go as far as it does not endanger others. When it does, it becomes aggression," Mastilović stressed. Speaking about historical revisionism, he said it can be a positive process only if it is based on new documents, facts, and knowledge. "The problem is negative historical revisionism, which justifies those ideologies and crimes and relativizes them. As a historian, I have been fighting such phenomena for years. In recent years, we have held several international scientific conferences addressing this kind of revisionism," Mastilović pointed out. He added that everything must be supported by scientific evidence and that testimonies and official documents must not be manipulated. "I cannot agree with the claim that glorifying Ustashism, fascism, and Nazism, as well as promoting hatred, is freedom of speech," Mastilović emphasized. He noted that Republika Srpska has produced young scientists and experts through its educational institutions, and that their contribution to spreading truth based on science and evidence is important. "We have also established the first Institute of Historical Sciences. Its main principle is that only the very best can work there. The institute has achieved significant scientific output and developed a base of young researchers," Mastilović stressed. He added that many historians are also engaged in other Republika Srpska institutions. "They will make a major contribution to Serbian historiography in the coming period," Mastilović said. He says that, thanks to their work, it is possible to document when Serbs settled in the Balkans and that they appeared under that ethnic name in Ottoman documents. "It is very important to cover the entire historical period through scientific study," Mastilović stated.