After verdict against Bosnia's Serb leader: Bosnian Serbs lay the axe to peace
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court in the Bosnian capital Sarajavo passed its verdict: Dodik was found guilty and sentenced to one year in prison. He is prohibited from holding political office for six years, meaning he is banned from practicing his profession.
However, Dodik and Miloš Lukic do not recognize the Supreme Court of the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They reject all laws and regulations that were adopted as a result of the 1995 Dayton Agreement that ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The public prosecutor had demanded a significantly longer prison sentence for Dodik, close to the legal maximum of six years, as well as a ten-year ban on political activity. The same sentence was requested for Lukić.
Dodik and Lukic can now appeal. Even if the verdict is upheld in the second instance, the Bosnian Serb leader could pay off the prison sentence by paying 36,000 KM (convertible marks), the equivalent of around 17,000 euros, and thus buy his freedom. And since the second instance will not rule for several months, he still has time for further measures.
In the run-up to the verdict, Dodik's supporters demonstrated in Banja Luka, the capital of Republika Srpska. Dodik had announced "radical measures". In an interview with Russia Today , he announced a law to withdraw from the agreement on the armed forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a ban on the activities of the state police and judiciary on Bosnian Serb territory.
In a second phase, Dodik declared after the verdict on Wednesday in Banja Luka, Republika Srpska would withdraw completely from the Dayton Peace Agreement. For him, there would no longer be a common army, a common police force, an intelligence and security service, a court in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a public prosecutor's office, or any other common authorities.
This would mean that the Dayton Peace Agreement for Bosnia and Herzegovina of 1995 , which ended a war that left hundreds of thousands dead, would be dead after thirty years. "Return to the constitution," Dodik demanded of the international community. He was convinced that no international armed forces would intervene on either side.
Dodik added that he was in favour of a peaceful solution, but one that included a confederation with Serbia. "We will not do anything, but when phase two comes, we will approach Serbia directly as Republika Srpska and ask for an agreement on the confederation of Republika Srpska and Serbia and later on the federation. We will also ask for an agreement on a monetary union with Serbia so that we can organise our lives and not depend on the nonsense we see in Sarajevo," Dodik said.
The Bosnian side will not accept all of this, declared the Defense Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo. Everything will be done to thwart these plans.
The Bosnian Serb side has been preparing for this escalation for a long time. Two years ago, Serbian extremists carried out exercises to seal off the entity's borders. But loyalty to Serbia is crumbling among the Bosnian Serb population. Serbia has experienced massive protests against the government in recent months. Dodik cannot rely on mass mobilization. Bosnia, it seems, has gained some time for now.
taz
