President Dodik of Bosnian Series sentenced to year in prison

This article was last updated on February 26, 2025

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President Dodik of Bosnian Series sentenced to year in prison

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the leader of the Serbian part of the country, Milorad Dodik, was sentenced to a year in prison. He is also not allowed to hold political functions for six years. The highest court states that he undermines state authority and thus counteracts the 1995 peace agreements. The fear is that the pronunciation leads to great tensions in the country.

With the 1995 peace agreements, the civil war in Bosnia came to an end. The three major population groups – Bosniaken, Serbs and Croats – agreed that the country was divided into two so -called entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika SRPSKA. Above that, a high representative of the international community floats, monitoring the implementation of the peace agreements.

But President Dodik of Republika Srpska does not recognize that high representative, the German Christian Schmidt. Among other things, he may implement their own laws and reverse decisions of the entities, which Dodik does not agree. He believes that the high representative is trying to keep Republika SRPSKA under control. Furthermore, Dodik also opposes the Constitutional Court, which also contains foreign judges.

Dodik does not want to keep a judgment

Dodik has therefore drawn up laws in which he displays the power of the high representative and that of the Constitutional Court on the territory of Republika SRPSKA. The prosecutor calls that punishable and therefore took him to court in 2023. The judge agreed today to the prosecutor.

The president of the Serbian sub -republic himself was not present at the ruling, but instead stood at a meeting with his supporters in Banja Luka. Dodik, who has ties with Moscow, the court case yesterday called the same manifestation unacceptable and spoke of a political process. He said he was not going to keep the verdict.

The case can further focus the situation in the divided country. Among the Bosnian-Series lives the view that all decisions of Schmidt are illegal, because his appointment has never been confirmed by the UN Security Council. Russia and China have pronounced a veto against that. Schmidts appointment is recognized by other UN organs.

In the final word in the court last week, Dodik warned that the verdict could mean a “death blow” for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dodik has previously said that in a conviction he will work against the central government and withdraw from the judiciary and the joint forces. He also threatened to separate Republika SRPSKA from the rest of Bosnia. Dodik’s separatist policy has led to, among other things, the United States established sanctions against him in 2022.

‘Bosnia and Herzegovina not negotiable’

With the bloody civil war, in which more than 100,000 people were killed in the 90s, still fresh in memory and with the fragile union between the Federation and Republika SRPSKA in mind, there is a fear of new unrest.

Schmidt said yesterday in a television speech that will last the integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. “The Dayton agreements and the state institutions will remain protected and must be respected.” According to him, staying intact from Bosnia and Herzegovina is “not negotiable”.