The US Department of the Treasury announced it has sanctioned three officials who have contributed to the efforts of the president of the entity of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, to undermine peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina by organizing and holding the “Republika Srpska Day” on January 9.
This day is considered unconstitutional in Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the US Treasury, the three sanctioned individuals have assisted Dodik’s efforts to undermine the Dayton Peace Agreement, the authority of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia, and international representatives.
“The United States is deeply concerned about ongoing efforts to undermine the Dayton Peace Agreement and the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, two critical institutions that have been instrumental for peace and stability in the region,” said the Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson.
“We will continue to hold accountable all those who seek to sow division to achieve their political goals at the expense of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he added.
The three sanctioned individuals are: Branislav Okuka, Jelena Pajić Baštinac, and Srebrenka Golić.
On January 8, 9, and 10, 2024, the government of the Republika Srpska entity organized celebrations for “Republika Srpska Day” in defiance of decisions by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia, which declared this day unconstitutional because it prioritizes “the religious heritage, traditions, and customs only of the Serbian people” and thereby violates the constitutional obligation of non-discrimination.
Branislav Okuka, an advisor to Dodik, told the Srna news agency “that it is a great honor to be on the team of people from the US blacklist led by President Milorad Dodik”.
“It is a great honor for me to be sanctioned as one of the participants in the organization of the January 9 celebration, which was the most magnificent and spectacular of this year, and I promise you that next January 9 will be even better and more massive,” he said.
The High Representative, Christian Schmidt, had stated that the marking of January 9 represented “a clear and direct failure to implement the final and binding decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia”. According to him, such a violation constitutes a criminal offense under the state’s Penal Code.
Dodik personally chaired an organizing committee for the celebrations of “Republika Srpska Day” in the Serbian entity of Bosnia.
The three sanctioned individuals were members of this committee and attended the November 27, 2023 meeting, where they announced the activities to be held to commemorate this day.
According to the Treasury, by facilitating the celebration of this unconstitutional holiday, these three individuals knowingly opposed the conclusions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and the high representatives and “openly demonstrated contempt for the Dayton Peace Agreement”.
The US said that these sanctions are also in response to previous incidents where these officials were involved in activities “undermining regional stability”.
“These actions are part of broader efforts by the US government to promote peace, stability, and functional democratic governance in the Western Balkans region,” the Treasury’s statement said.
The sanctions are expected to block all properties and interests these individuals may have in the United States.
The US has previously sanctioned various officials of the entity of Republika Srpska for undermining the Dayton Agreement. On January 5, 2022, Dodik was sanctioned by the US after being deemed responsible and involved in threatening the implementation of the Dayton Agreement, as well as involvement in corrupt activities.
The President of Republika Srpska was also sanctioned by the US in 2017 for activities posing threats and obstacles to the implementation of the Dayton Agreement.
