Bosnian-Serb leader sentenced to jail in historical trial

A one -year prison sentence and a six -year prohibition of occupying a public office may seem a great penalty for a politician.

But the leader of Bosnian-Serb, Milorad Dodik, went out to the verdict in the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The president of the Region of the Srpska Republic of the majority of the country told supporters in a demonstration in the regional capital Banja Luka that “there was no reason to worry.”

His conviction for charges of ignoring the decisions of the high international representative was “meaningless,” he said.

Dodik said he had “learned to deal with more difficult things” and called the crowd in the de facto capital of Republika Srpska to “be cheerful.”

The verdict was the culmination of a long -term conflict between Dodik and the high international representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt.

Schmidt remains the supreme authority in Bosnia, 30 years after the Dayton agreement that ended the Bosnian war of the 1990s.

The high representative has the power to impose or cancel the laws, and the officials ranging from judges to political leaders.

A former headline of the post, Paddy Ashdown, the former leader of the liberal democrats of the United Kingdom, dismissed almost 60 Bosnian-Serb officials in a single day in 2004, in an offensive against his protection of war criminals.

But the powers of the high representative have been used much more in moderation in the following years, since Bosnian international supporters went back to the hope that local leaders work together to create a viable and prosperous country.

The strategy has not been a success. Ethnoconationalist leaders remain rooted in a country that is divided into two “entities”, the Republican of the majority of the majority and the Federation, where the population is mostly Bosnians and Croats.

The central government is weak, and there are few incentives for the parties to cooperate. Instead, his guide philosophy is simple and selfish: divide, rule and profits.

As a result, the country is fighting with low wages, a slow economy and a constant flow of emigration by talented people who seek a better future elsewhere.

“Bosnians of all ethnicities are united by their disdain for their own leaders,” says Toby Vogel, co -founder of the group of experts of the Democratization Policy Council.

“They would love not to vote for these guys, but it is structurally almost impossible for politicians and cross parties to arise.”

Instead, leaders like Dodik are chosen, again and again. The SNSD party leader previously served as a Serbian representative of the national presidency of three people and became the first time in Republika Srpska’s Prime Minister in 1998.

A constant topic of his leadership has been the threat of triggering the secession of the majority region.

Dodik and his government have constantly worked to undermine Bosnia’s national institutions, introducing a series of laws to withdraw the SRPSKA Republic from the Judicial, Judicial and Fiscal Power.

Such efforts eventually pushed the high representative to take measures and annul the secessionist legislation.

Christian Schmidt warned that a conflict renewal was possible, but insisted that “he would not sit still while others seek to dismantle (decades) of peace, stability and progress.”

Dodik apparently saw him as a challenge. He approved a law that declared that Republika Srpska would no longer recognize Schmidt’s decisions. The high representative had already annulled legislation, and made a criminal offense to contradict his decisions.

That led to the prosecution of the leader of the Bosnia series, with prosecutors asking for a maximum prison sentence of five years and a 10 -year prohibition of occupying a chosen position. Dodik warned that he would take “radical measures” if he declares himself guilty.

His conviction has not brought any fireworks so far. At this point, Dodik insists that he does not appeal. On the other hand, the Srpska Republic Government is proposing once again the legislation to withdraw from national institutions, including the court that approved the guilt verdict.

But Dodik faces problems beyond the borders of Bosnia. The United States and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions on him and his family to corruption, threatening the unity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the connections with Russia.

Toby Vogel believes that he is more likely to threaten the leader of Bosnian-Serb than to the judicial conviction.

“The conflict with the high representative will intensify,” he says. “But Dodik could be leaving the road.”

“It is running out of cash to pay its swollen administration … and can no longer raise money in international markets. Therefore, it has very deep problems.”

None of this will be a lot of comfort for the people suffered from Bosnia and Herzegovina. They are still supporting the endless wait for promised prosperity by ethno-nationalists like Dodik. This last judicial battle shows how distant that perspective follows.