Dodik warns revenge after prison sentence, detention for political activity

The people of the Republika Srpska must remain calm and mobilize with our institutions. No one can reverse the will of the citizens. Republika Srpska has the strength to fight back through political steps, since if it does not, it is threatened by greater risks”, Dodik wrote in an X post on August 3rd.

Dodik has not specified what political actions will be taken.

On August 1st, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has sentenced Dodik to a year in prison and a six-year stop in exercising political activity for disrespecting the High Representative's decisions.

Dodik has been found guilty of signing a decree announcing laws that High Representative Christian Schmidt had cancelled in advance.

Through these laws, legislative troops in Republika Srpska have tried to prevent the implementation of the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the High Representative in the Bosnian Serb entity.

Following the August 1st decision, Dodik has said he rejects the criminal indictment for “disrespecting the decisions of High Representative”, for which he was sentenced by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He has made public the new decisions of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, which, according to him, define the “concrete plan for the road before”, without specifying what decisions it is about.

“All our decisions will be political, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has disqualified itself as a legal body”, Dodik has said.

He has said there will be no early elections in Republika Srpska.

Dodik's lawyer, Goran Bubic, has said Friday at a media conference that he will appeal the verdict to the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“We will seek temporary measures to suspend the verdict until the verdict is made by the Constitutional Court”, Bubic said, citing these are necessary steps to pass until the subject reaches the European Court for Human Rights.

Once it has been announced with the final decision, Dodik must accept a call for implementation of the prison sentence.

Shortly after the call follows the Bosnia and Herzegovina Central Election Commission's decision, which must make a decision to cut off his mandate as president of Republika Srpska.

Under Bosnia and Herzegovina's Electoral Law, the mandate of an elected official expires “on the date when the judicial decision, which sentences him in prison for six months, or more, becomes of the cut form.” / REL