The Bosnian and Herzegovinian Prosecutor’s Office has brought forth charges against Milorad Dodik, the President of the Republika Srpska entity, and Miloš Lukić, the director of the official newspaper of Republika Srpska. The charges are related to their alleged failure to implement the decisions of the High Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt.
This news was confirmed by the Office of the Prosecutor of Bosnia and Herzegovina (OPBH) to Radio Free Europe (RFE) on August 11.
On Friday, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina informed RFE that it had received a request from the OPBH to confirm the charges against Dodik and Lukić.
On July 9, the Prosecutor’s Office assembled a team of three prosecutors in response to Dodik’s decree, which was published in the official newspaper of Republika Srpska. The decree pertained to the non-publication of decisions made by the High Representative Schmidt.
According to Dodik’s decree, decisions made by the High Representative will no longer be made public within the Bosnian Serb entity. Furthermore, these decisions will not be recognized, and even the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina will not be valid within the Serbian entity’s territory.
Schmidt invalidated the anti-Dayton laws that were adopted by the National Assembly of the Republika Srpska entity on July 1. These laws concerned the non-publication of decisions made by the High Representative and the non-enforcement of decisions by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In addition, Schmidt made changes to the Penal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to categorize actions that disrupt the constitutional order as criminal offenses.
Schmidt clarified his decisions on July 1 by stating, “The entity parliaments do not possess the authority to override Bosnia and Herzegovina’s provisions and cannot bypass the jurisdiction of the pivotal Dayton institutions”.
The U.S. Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina supported Schmidt’s decisions and warned that there will be repercussions for the actions of the National Assembly of the Republika Srpska entity.
The embassy’s statement affirmed, “The United States upholds the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and multi-ethnic character of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We will continue to hold individuals accountable for engaging in anti-Dayton behavior”.
