Arrest Warrant Issued for Leadership of Bosnian Serbs
Bosnian authorities have issued orders for the arrest of the leaders of Republika Srpska. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Bosnian prosecutors have taken action by issuing arrest warrants for the president, prime minister, and parliament speaker of Republika Srpska, the largely Serb region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The officials are accused of launching an "attack on the constitutional order" through laws that impede the functioning of the country's state-level judiciary and law enforcement bodies.
After a devastating civil war that divided the former Yugoslav region's ethno-religious groups, Bosnia and Herzegovina was established as two self-governing entities: the ethnically Serbian Republika Srpska and a federation composed of Bosniaks and Croats, based on the US-brokered 1995 Dayton Agreement.
This agreement created a three-member presidency consisting of a Bosniak, a Serb, and a Croat, and incorporated an autonomous district at a crucial junction.
The warrants were issued even though Banja Luka, the administrative center of Republika Srpska, does not acknowledge the authority of the Sarajevo-based Prosecutor’s Office.
According to reports from Serb Republic television, the Prosecutor’s Office acted after Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik, Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic, and Parliament Speaker Nenad Stevandic failed to respond to two summonses for questioning.
In a recent development, a court in Sarajevo sentenced Dodik to one year in prison and prohibited him from holding presidential office for six years. The sentence was for obstructing the decisions of Bosnia’s constitutional court and defying the authority of international envoy Christian Schmidt, appointed to oversee the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement.
Dodik did not attend his sentencing and subsequently declared that the Republika Srpska National Assembly would reject the court's ruling and prevent the enforcement of any decisions made by Bosnia’s state judiciary within its borders.
In response, Bosnian Serb lawmakers enacted legislation that prohibits the central judiciary and police from operating in Republika Srpska. While Bosnia’s Constitutional Court temporarily suspended these laws on March 6, pending a final ruling, Dodik insisted on their implementation.
Radovan Kovacevic, a spokesman for Dodik’s party, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, contended that neither Dodik nor Republika Srpska had "attacked" Bosnia’s constitutional order.
“No one will arrest or can arrest the state leadership of Republika Srpska. Republika Srpska is not attacking the constitutional order; on the contrary, it is making decisions that it has the right to make, based on the constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska,” Kovacevic stated.
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin commented on the situation, claiming that Serbia will intervene to prevent the detention of Republika Srpska's top officials and characterized the Prosecutor’s Office's order as a persistent attempt at revenge against Dodik.
“This is revenge against Milorad Dodik and revenge against the Serbs,” Vulin asserted.
The Prosecutor’s Office can summon individuals for questioning up to two times. If they do not comply, a detention order may be issued. Should Dodik, Stevandic, or Viskovic resist detention, this could lead to a national arrest warrant.
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
After a devastating civil war that divided the former Yugoslav region's ethno-religious groups, Bosnia and Herzegovina was established as two self-governing entities: the ethnically Serbian Republika Srpska and a federation composed of Bosniaks and Croats, based on the US-brokered 1995 Dayton Agreement.
This agreement created a three-member presidency consisting of a Bosniak, a Serb, and a Croat, and incorporated an autonomous district at a crucial junction.
The warrants were issued even though Banja Luka, the administrative center of Republika Srpska, does not acknowledge the authority of the Sarajevo-based Prosecutor’s Office.
According to reports from Serb Republic television, the Prosecutor’s Office acted after Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik, Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic, and Parliament Speaker Nenad Stevandic failed to respond to two summonses for questioning.
In a recent development, a court in Sarajevo sentenced Dodik to one year in prison and prohibited him from holding presidential office for six years. The sentence was for obstructing the decisions of Bosnia’s constitutional court and defying the authority of international envoy Christian Schmidt, appointed to oversee the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement.
Dodik did not attend his sentencing and subsequently declared that the Republika Srpska National Assembly would reject the court's ruling and prevent the enforcement of any decisions made by Bosnia’s state judiciary within its borders.
In response, Bosnian Serb lawmakers enacted legislation that prohibits the central judiciary and police from operating in Republika Srpska. While Bosnia’s Constitutional Court temporarily suspended these laws on March 6, pending a final ruling, Dodik insisted on their implementation.
Radovan Kovacevic, a spokesman for Dodik’s party, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, contended that neither Dodik nor Republika Srpska had "attacked" Bosnia’s constitutional order.
“No one will arrest or can arrest the state leadership of Republika Srpska. Republika Srpska is not attacking the constitutional order; on the contrary, it is making decisions that it has the right to make, based on the constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska,” Kovacevic stated.
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin commented on the situation, claiming that Serbia will intervene to prevent the detention of Republika Srpska's top officials and characterized the Prosecutor’s Office's order as a persistent attempt at revenge against Dodik.
“This is revenge against Milorad Dodik and revenge against the Serbs,” Vulin asserted.
The Prosecutor’s Office can summon individuals for questioning up to two times. If they do not comply, a detention order may be issued. Should Dodik, Stevandic, or Viskovic resist detention, this could lead to a national arrest warrant.
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
