Bosnian serb leader seeks Russia's help amid arrest threat
Photo: Milorad Dodik (Getty Images)
The State Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued an arrest warrant on Wednesday, March 12, for the leader of the Serb separatists, Milorad Dodik, and his aides for ignoring a summons to court, according to Reuters.
The dispute in which Dodik and his allies, including Russia and Serbia, are opposing the United States and the European Union, is one of the biggest threats to peace in the Balkans since the conflicts of the 1990s that were sparked by the breakup of socialist Yugoslavia.
On Wednesday, the prosecutor's office issued a request for Dodik's arrest for failing to appear in court, although it was unclear whether they intended to detain him and his allies or just escort them to court.
"This is a null and void business. This is politically motivated and we don't want to take part in it," Dodik said at a press conference in the regional center of Banja Luka, displaying the arrest warrant.
In the coming days, Dodik plans to hold high-level meetings with Russian representatives. He stated at the press conference that he would ask Russia to veto the planned extension of the European peacekeeping mission in Bosnia in the UN Security Council in November.
The EU peacekeeping force, EUFOR, stated on Tuesday that it had begun deploying reserve forces in Bosnia to support stability and security. They declined to disclose the number of troops, but hundreds of new soldiers are expected to arrive.
The State Investigation and Protection Agency confirmed that it had received a request for assistance from the state judicial police in the detention of Dodik, the prime minister of the region, Radovan Višković, and the president of the parliament, Nenad Stevandić.
At the press conference, both officials rejected the state court and prosecutor's office as "unconstitutional institutions."
The Minister of the Interior of the Republika Srpska, Siniša Karan, stated that the regional police would act following the laws of the Republika Srpska, which prohibits state judicial bodies from operating on its territory.
“Nobody will be arrested, and everyone will be protected,” Karan said in an interview with ATV TV.
Russia VS West
The Republika Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosniak-Croat Federation are two regions created after the 1992-1995 war, in which 100,000 people lost their lives. They are connected by a weak central government in the country, which is under the supervision of an international body known as the High Representative, currently held by Christian Schmidt.
The current conflict began when Dodik, as the president of the autonomous Serb Republic of Bosnia, ignored the decision of the international envoy in the country, Christian Schmidt, who was tasked with preventing the risk of renewed conflict in the multi-ethnic Balkan state.
A court ruling, which Dodik can appeal, sentenced him to one year in prison and stripped him of the right to hold office for six years.
In response, the leader initiated laws prohibiting state judicial authority and police in the region. The State Prosecutor’s Office opened a case, which it called an attack on the constitutional order.
Dangerous agenda
On Wednesday, the Serb region’s parliament gathered to adopt a new constitution for the Republika Srpska that would cancel all reforms made over the decades following the signing of the US-supported Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the war.
Schmidt warned that changing the constitution is a violation of the peace agreement and poses a "serious danger." He urged lawmakers to reject "this attack on the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the multi-ethnic character of Republika Srpska".
On Wednesday, Dodik stated that he plans to label Schmidt's office as a "criminal organization" in the Republika Srpska.
Russia, Serbia, and Hungary have supported Dodik, who said his region should secede from Bosnia and join Serbia. Moscow called the Bosnian court's decision"a strike on stability in the Balkan region".
However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Dodik's actions undermine Bosnia’s institutions and threaten its security and stability, calling on US partners in the region to "to join us in pushing back against this dangerous and destabilizing behavior."
His statement was a blow to Dodik, who hopes that the administration of President Donald Trump will support the Serb separatist agenda.
Conflict core
Milorad Dodik has repeatedly stated his willingness to declare the independence of the Republika Srpska from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He explained his threats by citing problems with property expropriation in Sarajevo, believing that the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina is attempting to "steal the property" of the Republika Srpska.
On February 26, Dodik was sentenced to one year in prison and banned from holding the office of president of the Republika Srpska for six years due to his defiance of the decision of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt.
In 2023, the United States imposed sanctions on two individuals and four companies that are central to the patronage network of President Milorad Dodik.
