Dodik in court: fate of Republika Srpska in the balance!

In an explosive court case, Milorad Dodik, the president of the Serbian entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was sentenced to one year in prison. The Bosnian court announced this on February 26, 2025. Dodik, together with the head of the Bosnian Serb Official Gazette, Miloš Lukić, had to answer for violating the decisions of the High Representative for Bosnia, Christian Schmidt, who has been in office since 2021. In July 2023, Dodik had signed two laws that ignored the decisions of the Bosnian Constitutional Court as well as the guidelines of the international representative in the Republika Srpska, such as the Small newspaper reported.

The situation escalated as Dodik even promised a ban on the activities of the Federal Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the public prosecutor's office in the regional parliament of the Republika Srpska on Tuesday. He described the trial as an attack on Republika Srpska's institutions and echoed fears that his verdict could set a dangerous precedent. This could mean that decisions at the federal level could be overruled by the courts, putting the Serbian entity's autonomy at serious risk. The News Pravda reported that the Bosnian public prosecutor's office is even seeking a five-year prison sentence and a decades-long ban on political activities for Dodik.

Strained political situation

The ongoing conflicts over the High Representative's decisions and the associated political tensions are leading to an unstable situation in the region. Dodik has already described Schmidt as a “German tourist” and sees the laws he has introduced as anti-Serbian. His conviction could jeopardize the position of Republika Srpska and undermine its constitutional rights, which in turn could lead to a loss of autonomy. Milorad Dodik threatened “radical measures” to protect the interests of the Serbian people, which could even include a possible declaration of independence by Republika Srpska if current tensions continue.