“Bosnia and Herzegovina will lose in the unconstitutional Court of BiH in the political process being conducted against me as the President of Republika Srpska and the Director of the Official Gazette of Srpska, Miloš Lukić,” said President Milorad Dodik today.
Dodik, who attended an expert-consultative meeting in Laktaši regarding the current situation related to the legal proceedings against him and Lukić, stated that the proceedings were initiated before an unconstitutional Court.
Due to significant interest from the academic community and legal professionals, a constitutive meeting was held concerning the political process underway against me and the Director of the Official Gazette of Srpska at the level of the judiciary in BiH. We gathered to listen to all well-intentioned individuals who wish to contribute their suggestions, observations, and insights in defense against the false Court of BiH, which is as it is – unconstitutional and accepts that the illegal and unelected so-called high representatives initiate proceedings against a legally elected president and director of the Official Gazette,” stated Dodik.
Professor of International Law Željko Budimir stated that the process against the President of Srpska is an attack on the institutions of Republika Srpska, emphasizing the need for the broadest defense front to protect the interests of Srpska’s institutions against the unconstitutional Court of BiH. He announced the formation of an extensive team to participate in the defense of the President of the Republic.
“Today, both the profession and science spoke about the direction we should take in defending the national interests of Republika Srpska and the Serbian people in BiH. Everyone present here expressed readiness to participate as expert witnesses, consultants, and experts in this proceeding as part of the defense team for the President of the Republic. This is one of the consultative meetings we will organize in the upcoming period,” stated Budimir.
He mentioned plans to invite experts and stakeholders from the political and legal spheres, particularly from Serbia, which is one of the signatories to the Dayton Agreement.
Goran Petronijević, President of the Center for International Law Renewal, highlighted that the fabricated process conducted in Sarajevo against Dodik and Lukić is a continuation of flagrant violations of international law. He underscored that the Center, addressing anomalies arising from international law violations, identified this situation as one of those instances with the fabricated process and imposition of an illegitimate high representative in BiH.
Lawyer Branko Lukić emphasized that for those leading the proceedings against the President of Republika Srpska and the international community, the problem is not Dodik but Republika Srpska, attempting to dismantle it by seizing its property and undermining its foundations.
“The international community, or the collective West, is trying to dismantle Republika Srpska. We, Serbs from Srpska and around the world, will not allow that. We will fight to protect the President and Republika Srpska,” conveyed Lukić.
Goran Marković, Dean of the Law Faculty at the University of East Sarajevo, described the criminal proceedings in Sarajevo as a “good” opportunity to engage in a broad legal battle to provide a definitive answer to the purpose of the high representative in BiH, to problematize their presence in BiH.
“If BiH is to be a rule-of-law state functioning on the basis of the rule of law, the prerequisite is that those institutions elected in line with the constitutions of BiH and entities exercise authority and conduct policies completely independently and freely, which hasn’t been the case since the first high representative was appointed,” Marković stated.
Professor of International Public Law and Human Rights Boris Krivokapić highlighted the importance of today’s gathering, bringing together prominent experts, representatives from the academic community and practice, who reached converging viewpoints, emphasizing that this was not a political assembly.
Krivokapić pointed out that this is not just a defense of Dodik, Lukić, and Republika Srpska but also of international law.
