**Serbians Celebrate Republika Srpska Day Despite Being Declared Unconstitutional**
A group of Serbian officials, including Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and Patriarch Porfirije, attended the Republika Srpska (RS) Day ceremony in Banja Luka. The event has been declared unconstitutional by Bosnia’s Constitutional Court three times.
The delegation was welcomed by RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic and will attend a parade on Krajina Square tomorrow at 5 pm. This is the main event of the celebrations, which include concerts, plays, and other activities.
**RS Officials Make Statements**
After wreath-laying, RS officials spoke to the media. Zeljka Cvijanovic said that “RS has been burdened with hatred, but freedom has been dearly won.” Nenad Stevandić added that they want to honor those who founded RS. Radovan Viskovic claimed that they are not offending anyone and just want respect.
Despite these statements, no legal action has been taken by state judicial institutions. The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH has never prosecuted anyone for celebrating this date.
**Why Is January 9 Unconstitutional?**
The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared January 9 unconstitutional because it marks the proclamation of the “Republic of the Serb People of Bosnia and Herzegovina” in 1992. This goal was to later annex this part of BiH to Yugoslavia, which was then disintegrating.
The leaders of the self-proclaimed republic were later convicted of war crimes by the Hague Tribunal. For Bosniaks and Croats, January 9 symbolizes the start of the Bosnian War and the subsequent ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and genocide against non-Serb populations in RS territory.
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