Bosnian Serb leader secession threat after standoff over arrest warrant
Milorad Dodik throws down a gauntlet, threatening secession, after Serb entity police prevent Bosnian authorities from delivering him an arrest warrant
SARAJEVO, Bosnia & Herzegovina (MNTV) – Members of the Bosnian Special Anti Terrorist Unit secured Dodik’s car but failed to execute the arrest warrant.
There was a strong police presence in East Sarajevo on Thursday morning after Republika Srpska’s President doubled down on threats that the Serb-led entity will secede from Bosnia – following a standoff over the delivery of an arrest warrant.
Milorad Dodik’s defiant message came after police in Republika Srpska on Wednesday stopped officers of Bosnia’s State Investigation and Protection Agency, SIPA, from delivering an arrest warrant to him in East Sarajevo.
Dodik said that Bosnia and Herzegovina was not in the interest of Serbs and Republika Srpska, calling Bosnia’s State Court, Prosecutor’s Office and SIPA, “an occupying force” in Repubika Srpska.
“Does anyone really think that the [Republika Srpska] police, which is in charge of protecting institutions, should bow down to the occupying force called SIPA, Prosecution, Court, Schmidt?” he asked – referencing Bosnia’s international overseer, the High Representative, Christian Schmidt.
If the entity is challenged on the issue of property, “We will separate and defend our property,” he said, alluding to Republika Srpska’s years-long attempts to take over sole ownership of state property. “You think we can’t do it? We don’t need guns,” he added.
The standoff over the arrest warrant occurred as Dodik was meeting mayors of municipalities in East Sarajevo.
He is wanted for an attack on the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bosnia’s state court issued an arrest warrant for him on March 17.
As Dodik met the mayors in the entity’s government building, several SIPA inspectors arrived – and were stopped by armed members of the Republika Srpska Police.
“SIPA officers were at the administrative centre of the government of Republika Srpska in East Sarajevo, acting on an order from the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina concerning the criminal offence of ‘failure to implement a Constitutional Court decision’. We attempted to carry out the order but SIPA officers were prevented from doing so by the Ministry of Interior [of Republika Srpska],” SIPA spokesperson Jelena Miovcic told BIRN on Wednesday night.
Later, Dodik said he had no intention of leaving the building under pressure, and that SIPA had no authority in the entity.
“We’ll see who truly holds the power to enforce the law,” Dodik said, going on to attack High Representative Schmidt.
“Schmidt must go and he needs to clean up everything he imposed before he leaves. If you gentlemen in Sarajevo truly want to restore the strength or functionality of Bosnia and Herzegovina, then renounce Schmidt and erase all of his decisions. Only then can we sit down and talk,” he added.
Besides Dodik, the state court has also issued an arrest warrant for Republika Srpska’s Prime Minister, Radovan Viskovic, and the entity’s assembly speaker, Nenad Stevandic, all suspected of an “attack on the constitutional order” of Bosnia.
The arrest warrant follows Republika Srpska’s response to a first-instance court verdict sentencing Dodik to a year in prison and banning him from holding the office of entity president for six years. This was issued for not complying with the decisions of the High Representative.
A day after the verdict, the Republika Srpska assembly passed laws banning the state prosecution, state court, SIPA and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council from exercising any jurisdiction in Republika Srpska. Bosnia’s Constitutional Court then suspended these laws, pending a final ruling.
But after Dodik insisted that the new laws would be implemented in the entity, a new criminal investigation was opened, with Dodik, Stevandic and Viskovic accused of “an attack on the constitutional order”.
The Prosecutor’s Office asked the state court to request Interpol to issue a so-called “red notice” calling for their arrest, citing the fact that Dodik and Stevandic had either left, or were in the process of leaving, Bosnia. However, Interpol refused to issue the red notice in early April.
Bosnian authorities have said they will challenge that decision.
Meanwhile, the Republika Srpska assembly has taken fresh steps to undermine state-level institutions, adopting a draft new entity constitution and a law granting it the right to form its own army and intelligence service. It has also given itself the right to prosecute anyyone who “works against Republika Srpska’s constitution”.
Dodik has also announced the formation of a Republika Srpska border police.
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