Milorad Dodik, the leader of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Serb-majority entity, Republika Srpska (RS), has introduced new laws aimed at banning state-level security and judicial institutions from operating within RS territory.
This move follows Dodik’s controversial sentencing last Wednesday, sparking a significant political crisis in the Western Balkan country, which is seeking EU membership.
The newly enacted laws, which were previously adopted by the RS National Assembly, respond to the first-instance verdict handed down by the state-level Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which sentenced Dodik to one year in prison and a six-year ban from politics. The charges stem from his defiance of the decisions of the international community’s peace envoy, German diplomat Christian Schmidt, an act that is considered a criminal offense. However, the verdict is not final, and Dodik has the option to appeal.
In Bosnia, the High Representative serves as the chief mediator in high-profile disputes and plays a key role in overseeing the implementation of the 1995 Dayton Agreement, which ended the country’s devastating war. The agreement split Bosnia into two main administrative entities: the Serb-majority RS and the Bosniak-Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), under a complex and often contentious power-sharing arrangement.
On Thursday, Dodik, who has rejected the verdict and questioned the legitimacy of Schmidt, called for calm among Bosnian citizens, blaming Bosniak politicians for fueling tensions. “They believe that they should eliminate in the political sense every Serb who does not correspond to their political projections,” Dodik claimed.
Meanwhile, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić expressed disappointment over Dodik’s refusal to engage in talks after the verdict, noting that there was “no response apart from a barrage of insults.” Vučić emphasized that he believes dialogue is always preferable to displays of power and force.
In response to Dodik’s recent actions, Denis Bećirović, a member of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency, has filed a request with the country’s Constitutional Court to challenge the constitutionality of the new laws. The speakers of both chambers of the state-level Parliamentary Assembly, Denis Zvizdić and Kemal Ademović, have also expressed their intention to follow suit.
