SARAJEVO – Bosnia’s Serb Republic is poised to prohibit state police and judiciary operations within its territory, escalating tensions following a state court ruling that ordered Serb President Milorad Dodik to step down. The decision, expected to be approved in a parliamentary session on Thursday, comes a day after Dodik received a six-year political ban and a one-year jail sentence for defying international peace envoy Christian Schmidt.
Dodik, a Russian-backed separatist leader, rejected the sentence, which was imposed after he signed laws nullifying rulings by Bosnia’s constitutional court and Schmidt. The Bosnian Serb president has two weeks to appeal, with the option to pay a fine instead of serving jail time due to Bosnian legal provisions.
The move threatens to destabilize the already fragile political landscape of Bosnia, which has been under international supervision since the end of the 1992-1995 war that claimed over 100,000 lives. The war led to the creation of two semi-autonomous regions: the Serb Republic and a Federation shared by Croats and Bosniaks, linked by a weak central government.
The Kremlin has criticized the indictment, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov calling it a politically-motivated action against “patriotic Serbian forces.” Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained a constructive relationship with Dodik, further complicating international dynamics. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department and European Union urged political leaders to avoid actions that threaten Bosnia’s sovereignty and stability.
Dodik, who advocates for the Serb Republic’s unification with neighboring Serbia, argued that Bosnia’s state police and judiciary were imposed by international envoys rather than being constitutionally mandated. This stance echoes his 2021 attempt to withdraw the Serb region from Bosnia’s joint army, judiciary, and tax administration, an effort delayed due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
International observers warn that the escalating political crisis could reignite ethnic tensions in the Balkans, a region historically prone to conflict. As parliament prepares to approve the proposed bans, all eyes are on Bosnia’s leadership to see whether they can navigate this crisis without undermining the nation’s fragile peace.