Third Serbia: Request for release of Serb youths

NOVI SAD - Third Serbia called on Croatia on Sunday, requesting release for young Serbs arrested in Vukovar, and appealed the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a request for it to react adequately and address to the EU and UN institutions and ask them to try and exert influence on Croatia.

The Vukovar police filed criminal charges on Saturday against three young Vukovar citizens who took photos of themselves in battle fatigues with the flag of Serbia at the entrance to Vukovar and posted the pictures with inappropriate captions on social networks on Orthodox Christmas, January 7.

Third Serbia believes that it is obvious that the innocent youths were arrested as a bargaining chip in the election campaign and continuation of the political campaign in which anti-Serb attitude constitutes a very important category.

According to the party's opinion, it is scandalous that the Serb youths were arrested just because they took photos with the flag of the Republic of Serbia on Christmas Eve and that the police released that they were arrested because they took photos with banned insignia.

According to the release, the statement is extremely hypocritical because it creates the impression that Croatia does not at all mind the dozens of thousands of people attending the concerts of (controversial Croatian singer) Marko Perkovic who are displaying Ustashi and Nazi symbols.

Unfortunately, this constitutes the continuation of the policy of forceful assimilation of Serbs in Croatia and this needs to be pointed out, Third Serbia says, adding that Serbs in Croatia are deprived of their basic human rights, including even the right to property, alphabet and language.

Photo Tanjug, T. Valic (archive photo)