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26 Feb, 16:06

Parliament to ban work of BiH federal law enforcement agencies in Republika Srpska — Dodik

The proposed legislation is a direct response to the recent ruling by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which sentenced Dodik for his failure to comply with the decisions of the High Representative of the international community in the country, Christian Schmidt

BELGRADE, February 26. /TASS/. The National Assembly (Parliament) of Republika Srpska (RS), an entity within Bosnia-Herzegovina, is poised to approve a series of laws that will prohibit the operations of federal security agencies from Bosnia-Herzegovina on its territory. This announcement was made by RS leader Milorad Dodik during a speech to his supporters in Banja Luka, following his sentencing by a court in Sarajevo.

"We will defend ourselves at every step. Today, we will protect our Constitution with the support of our judiciary and police," Radio and Television Republika Srpska quoted Dodik.

The proposed legislation is a direct response to the recent ruling by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which sentenced Dodik for his failure to comply with the decisions of the High Representative of the international community in the country, Christian Schmidt. The new laws would make it illegal to enforce the decisions of the BiH court within the entity. Additionally, the activities of the federal prosecutor's office, investigative bodies, and intelligence services will also be prohibited.

Earlier, the Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina sentenced Dodik to one year in prison and imposed a six-year ban on his political activities due to his defiance of Schmidt's decisions. This ruling is a first-instance judgment and is subject to appeal. A final decision will be rendered by the second-instance chamber of the Court of BiH by the end of this year.

Bosnia-Herzegovina is effectively governed by a high representative of the international community, a position established under the Dayton Agreement. The high representative is appointed by the steering committee of the BiH Peace Implementation Council, with approval from the UN Security Council. However, in May 2021, the ambassadors of the steering committee countries decided to appoint Christian Schmidt as the new high representative in BiH without following the UNSC approval process. The leadership of Republika Srpska does not recognize Schmidt's legitimacy.

Dodik has cautioned that he is prepared to declare the entity's independence should Schmidt continue to advocate for laws that infringe upon the rights of Bosnian Serbs. Earlier on Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned that the indictment against the president of Republika Srpska could have detrimental effects for both Bosnia-Herzegovina and the broader Balkan region.