Bosnia Sentences Dodik

On Wednesday, a Bosnian court sentenced Milorad Dodik, the President of the autonomous Republic of Srpska, to one year in prison and barred him from politics for six years. The decision came after a year-long trial over Dodik’s refusal to implement laws handed down by the international overseer of peace in Bosnia, Christian Schmidt.  

Dodik and his attorneys were not present at the sentencing, and from a rally in Banja Luka, the capital of the Republika Srpska, Dodik said he would not comply with the sentence and considered the ruling illegitimate. Dodik threatened to take ‘radical measures,’ which many interpret as the formal secession of Republika Srpska from Bosnia, something Dodik has advocated for in the past.  

In response, Serbian President Alexander Vucic quickly flew to Banja Luka in support of Dudik, saying that the ruling was shameful and designed to target the Republika Srpska and the Serbians living in Bosnia. Hungarian president also chimed in on X, calling the Bosnian court’s decision a ‘witch hunt’ and saying this is not the way to ensure peace in the Balkans.   

The National Assembly of the Republika Srpska passed a resolution declaring that the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina had effectively initiated a coup d’etat, violating the constitution via their conviction of Dodik for not following the decrees of the High Representative Schmidt.  

The government further nullified all decisions by various Bosnian judiciaries and courts it deemed unconstitutional while also ordering criminal charges to be brought against the Bosnian judges who sentenced Dodik and called for new laws banning Bosnian institutions from operating in Srpska.   

Shortly after this, Vucic and Dodik held a joint press conference in Banja Luka, where Dodik expressed his desire for peace and stability. Dodik asserted that Srpska was not mobilizing for conflict and was ready for dialogue with all representatives from all groups, but firmly insisted that Srpska would not allow the current treatment of itself and its leaders to continue.   

Vucic reiterated that the Bosnian Courts ruling was an attack on the Republika Srpska and the Serbian people as a whole and that Serbia stood behind Dodik and Srpska no matter what. Vucic emphasized Serbia’s desire to maintain the Dayton Accords and peace in the region, mentioning that the Serbian parliament will hold an emergency meeting on the situation with Dodik in attendance.   

After the Bosnian War from 1992 to 1995, the state of Bosnia was divided between two semiautonomous regions, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Serb-majority Republika Srpska. Both regions would share federal institutions like the military, courts and tax collection, and the presidency would be decentralized and made up of representatives of the three major ethnic groups in Bosnia: Croats, Serbs and Bosnians.   

Dodik won the Presidential election in 2022, marking his third time holding the office, winning two terms from 2010 to 2018. Dodik is known for his pro-Russia and pro-Trump stance, as well as his advocacy for Bosnian Serb self-determination and rejection of the international committee overseeing peace in Bosnia that was established after the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement.