Conflict between the police in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Milorad Dodik separatist leader was protected by Serbian police by the National Police
Milorad Dodik Photo: Anton Vaganov / AP / Profimedia
Bosnia and Herzegovina SIPA's State Police tried on Wednesday to arrest the Serbian separatist leader Milorad Dodik who is sought for attack on the constitutional order, but was stopped by the Serbian police forces, a SIPA spokesman announced.
A state court issued an arrest warrant for Dodik, the President of the Autonomous Republic of Srpska, and his two other collaborators, after ignoring an hearings in the investigation related to the separatist law they initiated and was suspended by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Her.
Despite the arrest warrant, Dodik continued his activity and traveled in the region dominated by Serbs, being protected by the region's anti-terrorist police forces. On Wednesday, he arrived in the city of East Sarajevo, near the capital Sarajevo, where is the headquarters of the State Agency for Investigation and Protection (SIPA).
“SIPA police have tried to apply the order of the Court and arrest the President of the Republic of Srpska (RS) Milorad Dodik in East Sarajevo. They discussed with members of the RS Police who warned them they will use the force and thus prevented them from executing the order,” said Jelena Miovcic.
The Reuters reporter reported that only Dodik's building were members of the Republic of Srpska around the building where Dodik arrived.
Dodik has provoked the largest political crisis since the end of the Civil War of the 90's after being sentenced to one year in prison and was banned from political activity for six years as it has defied the rules of the International Affiring whose role is to prevent a new interethnic war. Milorad Dodik is supported by Serbia and Russia, and the central government in Sarajevo by the EU and the US.
Last month, a court issued an international arrest warrant against Dodik after he defied the domestic mandate, but Interpol refused to issue the “red warning” for such cases.
The long-term supporter of the Bosnia-Herzegovina secession, Dodik initiated a law that forbade the police and state judicial system to act in the Serbian region, but the Constitutional Court suspended its application.
