What is the president of Serbia? Aleksandar Vučić wanted to achieve by claiming that he is a suspect in a double murder Alija Balijagić "extreme, radical Islamist" and that it is possible that he did it because he saw icons in the house of those who were killed, at the same time talking about the crime against Muslims in the Vraneška valley is difficult to figure out, but they further spread restlessness and panic in Montenegro, the interlocutors assessed " News”.
Balijagić is suspected of killing a brother and sister with a hunting rifle in the Bjelopolje village of Sokolac on the evening of Friday, October 25. Jovana and Milenko Madžgalj, who fed him a few hours before and treated him to brandy.
Since then, the police and army of Montenegro and the police and gendarmerie of Serbia have unsuccessfully searched for him in the border area of these two countries.
On Monday, in the Ćirilica show on Happy Television, Vučić said that Balijagić committed the murder 'as a Muslim fanatic' because he saw icons in the house of the murdered, and that they have information from 'intelligence connections from of Montenegro' that Balijagić became a 'real fanatic, extreme, radical Islamist' in prison.
"That Vraneška valley - a historically interesting area where Alija Balijagić and Madžgalji, whom he killed, are from. There, in 1924, 100 years ago, as things stand, Muslims then, for God knows what reason, killed the district chief Bošković. And then the revenge of the Serbs followed, so severe that real massacres and crimes were committed against the Muslims... Before that, the Muslims committed a massacre against the Serbs, and it was a vicious cycle. That valley was then called Šahovića dolina, today it is Vraneška dolina," said Vučić.
The Police Directorate and the National Security Agency, in a joint statement on Tuesday, denied Vučić and stated that Balijagić is a criminal, but that they have no information that he is a religious extremist.
"This person is prone to committing serious crimes against persons and property, which is why he spent several years in prison, but his activities that can be linked to radical activities in the field of religious extremism have not been registered. We appeal to all social actors in the country to report responsibly and accurately in connection with this and all other cases, especially in the context of communicating inaccurate or unverified information that may cause religious or national intolerance," the statement reads.
Retired diplomat and former ambassador of Serbia in Belarus and Bulgaria, Srećko Đukić, he said that it is difficult to figure out the goal of Vučić's statement and intervention, which deviates from his duty.
"However, if it is known that he interferes in all affairs, then it should not be surprising. I believe that the message is that the relations between Belgrade and Podgorica are not at that level and are not taking place in the way that the Serbian president would like," Đukić told "Vijesta".
He said that it is difficult to find a rational explanation for persistently insisting on such disturbed relations between two neighboring countries, other than the intention to keep the marked "Spian world" constantly under control and under some pressure.
"In this sense, every occasion and every opportunity is used, including in connection with this person who, as we saw from the announcement of the competent Montenegrin authorities, is a proven criminal element," said Đukić.
On Thursday, the non-governmental organization Center for Democratic Transition (CDT) called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro to request an official explanation from Belgrade regarding Vučić's statement, and requested the holding of a session of the National Operational Team for Combating Violent Extremism (NOT).
"Irresponsible statements of this type can be a very dangerous trigger for tensions and misunderstandings in the region, fueling animosities and causing potentially destructive consequences for inter-ethnic relations. When they come from the president of a neighboring country, such statements not only affect public perception, but can contribute to the spread of misinformation and the creation of unfounded prejudices against certain groups within our society," said the program director of CDT. Milica Kovačević.
"In a sensitive situation such as the current one, all responsible politicians and media are expected to contribute to peace and stability with their public appearances, instead of further polarizing the already complex social relations".
Portal In4s, one of Vučić's media outlets in Montenegro, published an "investigative" article on Wednesday without any evidence, in which it links Balijagić's crime with revenge for the massacre in Šahovići, accusing some local police leaders of the Islamic faith of colluding with the escaped suspected murderer , and the proponents of the resolution on the Šahović genocide and "leaders of the Islamic religion" to "undermine multi-ethnic harmony", referring exclusively to the unnamed "indignant people of Bjelopolje".
"We would cite the reaction of Alija Balijagić... (stimulated precisely by the marketing of the appointed committee and the satanization of the Orthodox people) who announced in informal communication and usually under the influence of alcohol that he would take revenge on the people of Vraneš... How many more "martyrs" are waiting for their chance, we will never know , we can only guess and hope that this is the last one, which is hard to believe due to the increasing arrogance, primarily of the leaders of the Islamic religion, in undermining multi-ethnic harmony... In speaking with the Orthodox community, this group of citizens states, they come to the information that they are waiting for the institutions to do their job. If this does not happen, they will have to protect themselves and their families," the In4s article states.
Lawyer and former Minister of the Interior Sergej Sekulovic said that Vučić's statement did not help shed light on Balijagić's motive for the double murder.
"Maybe it's about some of (Vučić's) informal contacts and information. It certainly did not contribute to the discovery of the motive for this heinous act. As far as we can see for now, it is not about a serial killer, we have not learned that there is a genesis of personal misunderstandings and conflicts, so the introduction of a religious element, without clear evidence, adds to unrest and panic. Let's hope this ends successfully soon, so maybe we can get to the motive. If the motive is not hidden in drawing attention to oneself", Sekulović told "Vijesta".
Sekulović pointed out that, if it turns out that there is a religious component, then it should be approached with the utmost seriousness and from the security aspect:
"But also with the explanation that this has nothing to do with faith, but with the abuse of religion for monstrous purposes, done by an individual".
Kovačević, who is a member of the NOT on behalf of the CDT, states "that this situation, in which the president of a neighboring country communicates diametrically opposed positions to Montenegrin state authorities, can be a trigger for destabilization in Montenegro, as well as for tensions and misunderstandings in the region.
"That's why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must seek explanations from official Belgrade. "Let's leave aside the question of the intelligence connections of the President of Serbia in Montenegro, because they are not the subject of the work of the non-governmental sector... Such statements can contribute to the spread of misinformation and the creation of prejudices against certain groups," said Kovačević.
"Vijesti" has learned that the meeting of the National Operational Team for the fight against violent extremism is scheduled for Tuesday.
The public is not aware of whether the MFA sought an explanation from Serbian colleagues about Vučić's statement, and the minister Ervin Ibrahimovic he did not respond to the call and message of "Vijesti".
None of the officials of the executive power, nor the parliamentary majority commented on Vučić's statement.
Vučić also spread a false excuse for the massacre in Šahovići
Vučić's statement that 100 years ago in Šahovići, Muslims "for God knows what reason, killed the district chief Bošković", does not correspond to the statements of Milovan Đilas and the text of the proposed resolution made by the Committee for the commemoration of the centenary of the genocide in Šahovići, which the Bosniak Party deputies in September submitted to the parliamentary procedure.
Both Đilas in the book "Besudna zemlja" and the authors of the resolution agree that the reason for the slaughter of "between 100 and 1200 Muslims" and the expulsion and displacement of almost the entire Muslim population was the ambush murder of Boško Bošković, then retired head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"After Boško Bošković, the person against whom interpellations were filed in the National Assembly for arrogant and illegal behavior, was killed, his body was brought to the church in Mojkovac. Although he was not a representative of the government at the time, nor was he on duty, without any evidence, during the funeral, a false assumption and news spread that Boško Bošković was killed by the Muslim committees Jusuf Mehonjić and Husein Bošković, although they had not been on that ground since 1923, but in Albania. , according to the authors of the draft resolution.
As they add, the mayor of Bjelopolje and other representatives of the government called the gathered people after the funeral of Boško Bošković to "revenge", announcing that they have "free hands to sanctify Boško in the next 24 hours".
The authors point out that the "avengers", about 2.000 of them, mostly from the surrounding area, killed the Muslim population in Šahovići and Pavino Polje in turn. They state that in a length of 19 kilometers they "burned down all the Muslim houses, robbed and killed everyone they found".
"The number of those killed remains unknown for the reason that no investigation has been initiated and the number of those killed is quoted, depending on the source, from 100 to 1.200... The result of this crime was: the entire Muslim population from this area was killed, robbed and expelled. "Rare examples of rescue of individuals by Orthodox neighbors indicate the need to affirm the good in people," they stated.
"In addition, on August 28, 1973, the surviving actors and witnesses of this crime testified about the same, General Danilo Jauković, who recorded their testimonies on a tape recorder... The remorse expressed by the participants of the crime at the time was based on the express claim that Boško Bošković was not killed by Jusuf Mehonjić and that the Muslims were killed, healthy and for no apparent reason".
And Đilas wrote that Bošković was not killed by Muslims, but by Montenegrins, the leaders of Kolasin.
"My father found out about that later, from a trusted friend. The leaders envied Boška... There were also many unresolved accounts from earlier... The leaders who organized the murder did not lift a finger to prevent the slaughter of Muslims. They realized that Boško's murder was only the reason for this, secretly rejoicing that they could eliminate Boško and exterminate the Muslims with one blow".
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