Bosnian Serb Region Bars Bosnian State Authorities in Separatist Move
Bosnia's autonomous Serb region passed legislation barring the national police and judiciary from its territory after a court banned its separatist leader Milorad Dodik from politics for six years and sentenced him to a year in prison. The move undermines state institutions, touching off a constitutional crisis in ethnically polarised post-war Bosnia. Russia, Dodik's most powerful supporter, said the sentence was politically motivated and would destabilise the Balkans.
- This development highlights the fragility of power structures in post-war Bosnia, where ethnic divisions and historical grievances continue to simmer beneath the surface, threatening to undermine the fragile peace accords that have held the country together since 1995.
- Will this new law serve as a catalyst for further fragmentation or can it be a stepping stone towards greater reconciliation and cooperation between Bosnian Serbs and other communities in Bosnia?