The head of Republika Srpska, a predominantly Serb entity inside Bosnia-Herzegovina, said on Thursday he would not obey a court summons on charges of attempting to overthrow the constitution.
Republika Srpska leader Milorad Dodik said he was a target of “political persecution.”
“I will not go to their political court, because Serbs no longer submit to inquisitions!” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The post follows his sentencing last week to a year in prison and a six-year ban from politics for pushing through two laws without the approval of the Bosnia-Herzegovina’s High Representative Christian Schmidt and Constitutional Court. The Office of the High Representative is backed by the US and the EU, and its tasks include ensuring compliance with the Dayton Agreement that ended the ethnic war 30 years ago.
National police, prosecutors banned from working in Serb entity
In his post, Dodik said that Republika Srpska “is not and will never be anyone’s colony.”
“We are our own people, we decide for ourseleves and we will only obey our own Constitution, and not the will of those who would crush Republika Srpska through politcially orchestrated trials,” he said.
Last night, Dodik signed more laws into effect: one bans the federal court, prosecutor’s office and police from working in the Serb entity.
Dodik has repeatedly made threats to secede Republika Srpska from Bosnia-Herzegovina.
“With these new laws that have been adopted, the situation seems even more dangerous,” says professor of political science Veldin Kadic.
Dodik is an outspoken ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin, whom he awarded with the medal of honor, and also seen as close to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who has also made overtures to Moscow.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
