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Dodik appears before the court for disregarding Schmidt's decisions

2023-12-06 17:03:53, Kosova & Bota CNA

Dodik appears before the court for disregarding Schmidt's decisions

The leader of the Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, appeared before the court on Wednesday, at the start of the judicial process against him, related to his refusal to recognize the decisions made by the international representative, Christian Schmidt, committed to supervision of peace agreements.

The trial against Dodik is a watershed moment in Bosnia, testing the government's faltering capacity to hold accountable a politician who is suspected of violating peace agreements and the country's judicial system.

The unprecedented case in the Sarajevo court comes a few months after rising tensions, as Dodik signed controversial legislation that rejects decisions made by international representative Christian Schmidt and the Constitutional Court.

Schmidt is charged with overseeing the Dayton Accords, which ended the bloody war in Bosnia in the 1990s.

In July, Schmidt overturned both laws approved by Dodik.

This is the first time that a political leader in Bosnia is on trial for failing to respect the decisions made by Schmidt.

In Wednesday's session, Dodik requested that the trial be moved to Banja Llukë - the capital of the Serbian entity of Bosnia - Republika Srpska.

The trial was then adjourned, pending a decision on the location of the next hearing.

Leaving the court, Dodik attacked Schmidt and the American ambassador to Bosnia, Michael Murphy, for "colonial behavior".

"Christian Schmidt and Murphy are trying to make our life miserable in Bosnia", said Dodik.

He faces up to five years in prison and a ban on participating in politics if convicted.

Dodik himself rejects all the accusations against him.

Dodik - an ally of the Kremlin - is on the sanctions list of the United States, and has often incited ethnic tensions, as well as threatened the secession of Republika Srpska from Bosnia-Herzegovina./ REL





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