Putin friend Dodik indicted
Bosnian Serb leader boycotts court
October 16, 2023, 7:49 p.m
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The Bosnian Serb leader challenges the international community. Dodik faces charges for his divisive actions in the multi-ethnic state of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Instead of commenting on the allegations, Putin’s vassal disputes the legitimacy of the court.
Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, who has been charged in connection with his opposition to the UN-appointed High Representative, has refused to respond to the allegations against him in court. Dodik said after a hearing in a court in the capital Sarajevo that he did not understand what the charges were based on. He further accused the court of being “unconstitutional” and “illegal.” According to Dodik, this is a “purely political process without any legal basis” and is directed against him and the Serbian republic of Republika Srpska. He also accused the court of saying that the verdict had already been passed against him.
The 64-year-old Bosnian Serb leader was indicted by Bosnian prosecutors in August for “disregarding” the decisions of the High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt. Refusal of the authority of the UN representative can be punished with six months to five years in prison. Dodik has already stated that he would not accept the court’s decision if convicted.
Kremlin ally on a collision course
The High Representative of the international community has been appointed by the United Nations since the 1995 Dayton Agreement, which ended the Bosnian War. He has broad powers, including the right to enforce or repeal laws and dismiss elected representatives. Overall, he monitors compliance with the peace agreement.
In June, Kremlin ally Dodik incited the Republika Srpska parliament to approve two laws banning the implementation of decisions by the Bosnian Constitutional Court and the High Representative. The German diplomat Schmidt immediately repealed this, but Dodik announced it anyway. They were also published in the official gazette of the Serbian part of the country.
Since the Dayton Agreement, Bosnia-Herzegovina has been divided into the Republika Srpska, which is predominantly inhabited by Bosnian Serbs, and the Croatian-Muslim Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The two semi-autonomous parts of the country are linked by a weak central government.