JOVIĆ CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY OVER ATTACK ON SERB RETURNEES IN VOGOŠĆA

BANJA LUKA, SEPTEMBER 3 /SRNA/ – Slađan Jović, acting director of Republika Srpska's Secretariat for Displaced Persons and Migration, condemned the attack on Serb returnees in Sarajevo's Vogošća municipality and urged authorities in the Federation of BiH to hold those responsible accountable.

"It is particularly devastating that the victims are elderly and that this concerns one of the last remaining Serb returnees in the municipality," Jović said in a statement to SRNA. According to Jović, the family of the victims reported the incident to the editorial offices of several media outlets, confirming, he said, that such cases in the Federation of BiH continue to be minimized and kept out of the public eye. Jović said an elderly Serb returnee was brutally beaten and subsequently suffered a stroke, while his son was shot at. He added that the Sarajevo Canton Interior Ministry had described the incident as an attempted robbery involving minor bodily injuries. He questioned how the small number of Serb returnees could continue living in their ancestral homes when attacks against them and their painstakingly rebuilt property occur repeatedly and whether they should be expected to live in constant fear. "Will the Federation Interior Ministry ever sanction those who attack Serbs, or will it continue covering up such attacks?" Jović asked. He appealed to all relevant institutions to ensure that this does not become yet another unresolved case and to restore peace and trust among people. Jović pointed out that the institutions of Republika Srpska are the ones that provide the greatest support to Serb returnees in the Federation of BiH, which is further evidence of neglect by the Federation's institutions despite their legal obligations. "As long as the obligations set out in the Dayton Peace Accords concerning refugees, displaced persons and returnees are not fulfilled, we will continue to witness situations like this," Jović concluded. During the night of August 25-26, a Serb returnee identified by the initials A.Š. /92/, was attacked in the Sarajevo municipality of Vogošća. He was brutally beaten and later suffered a stroke. His 68-year-old son, identified by the initials B.Š., was also in the house at the time but initially heard nothing. When he woke up and saw what was happening, he ran after the intruders, who fired shots at him, but he was not hit.