BANJA LUKA, January 17 (FENA) - The Council for the Protection of the Vital Interests of the Constitutional Court of the Republika Srpska (RS) has determined today that the Law on usurpation and veteran land benefits has not violated the vital national interests of the constituent Bosniak and Croat peoples.
The Council justified its position on the absence of a violation of the vital national interests of the Bosniak and Croat peoples in relation to the disputed Law, primarily by the fact that no provision of the Law favors or discriminates any constituent people.
According to the Council, the provisions of the Law are of a general nature and equally apply to all citizens of the RS, and that no constituent people by its prescribing have been put in an unequal position of the rights guaranteed by the RS Constitution.
This law was passed by the National Assembly at its session held on November 28, 2019.
The Bosniak Peoples' caucus in the RS Council of Peoples initiated the process of protecting the vital national interest on the Law on usurpation and veteran land benefits, as they believe that the entry into force of that law would practically prevent restitution of land illegally confiscated until 6 April 1941 that is, under certain assumption, including the land seized until December 31, 1955.
“It is undisputed that during that period, as a rule, the land was taken without adequate remuneration, whose former owners and their heirs were in a significant number, were of Bosniak nationality,” the caucus warned.
The implementation of this law, without first enacting and implementing restitution regulations, will lead to a violation of the vital national interest of the Bosniak people, and therefore they consider that its entry into force should not be allowed.
(FENA) A. B.