Several thousand people gathered in Banja Luka on Tuesday, 25 February, to support Milorad Dodik, president of the Republika Srpska (RS) entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the eve of a court ruling where Dodik is accused of defying decisions made by the international high representative.
The protest took place outside the RS National Assembly, which later convened a session to discuss “Information on the Violation of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Measures, and Tasks for its Protection.” Attendees arrived via organized transport from various parts of Republika Srpska. According to Radio Free Europe reporters, flags featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin’s image and Serbian national flags were visible at the gathering.
Prominent RS officials and Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski, Serbia’s Minister for Family Care and Demography and leader of the right-wing Zavetnici party, addressed the crowd from a stage set up near the Assembly entrance.
A separate protest is scheduled for the following day, just an hour before the court’s ruling in Sarajevo. Besides Dodik, Miloš Lukić, acting director of the RS Official Gazette, is also charged. Dodik is accused of signing presidential decrees enacting two unconstitutional RS laws previously annulled by the high representative. Lukić faces charges for publishing these laws.
The disputed legislation involves the non-implementation of decisions by Bosnia’s Constitutional Court and the high representative within RS territory. Convictions could carry prison sentences of six months to five years and potential bans on political activity.
Pressure on Bosnia’s judiciary has intensified ahead of the verdict, with RS leadership threatening “radical measures” and the withdrawal from state institutions if Dodik is convicted.
On the eve of the protests, Christian Schmidt, Bosnia’s high representative, addressed the media following a Peace Implementation Council (PIC) session. Schmidt emphasized that PIC ambassadors urged Bosnian politicians to refrain from exerting pressure or issuing political threats, stressing respect for the judiciary’s independence.
“The international community remains vigilant. The Dayton framework and state institutions are protected and must be respected. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s territorial integrity as a single, sovereign state consisting of two entities and the Brčko District is non-negotiable,” Schmidt said, affirming Bosnia’s European trajectory.
Following a meeting on 25 February between European Union ambassadors and Željka Cvijanović, chair of Bosnia’s Presidency, diplomats warned that actions deepening divisions and raising tensions are unacceptable. The EU called on all political actors in Bosnia to respect the court’s decision and maintain judicial independence.
Additionally, EUFOR and NATO issued statements underscoring that any threats to peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina would not be tolerated.
