MURDER OF SERB RETURNEE IS HORRIFIC CRIME

BANJA LUKA, JUNE 29 /SRNA/ - Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik said today that the murder of Serb returnee Jela Pejić in the federal municipality of Lukavac is a horrific crime, but also a message to all Serbs that only Republika Srpska can guarantee them a safe life.

"The murder of Jela Pejić, a Serb woman, who had returned to her village of Rovine, is a heinous crime, but also a message to all Serbs that only Republika Srpska can guarantee them a peaceful and secure life," Dodik said.

Dodik expects the relevant authorities in the FBiH to arrest and impose the harshest punishment on the perpetrator of this crime, "or he too will be proclaimed a defender to whom justice does not apply."

He stated that the atmosphere of lynching and persecution fostered by political Sarajevo has claimed yet another innocent life, emphasizing that in the face of such a crime, all narratives about multiethnicity, understanding, and respect for differences fall apart.

"Through their warmongering rhetoric, Bosniak politicians incite hatred, and hatred breeds crimes," Dodik said.

Serb returnee Jela Pejić was killed last night in the settlement of Rovine near Lukavac.

The murder of this elderly woman is one in a series of crimes against Serb returnees in Lukavac.