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January 14, 2022 - Washington, D.C. - On January 9th, Bosnian Serbs once again defied the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) by holding an unlawful celebration throughout Republika Srpska (RS), one of two of the country’s entities. The militarized parade was held in the city of Banja Luka, where over 800 heavily armed Bosnian Serb police officers marched the streets chanting "for the cross, for the cross," in glorification of Serbian rulers. The day was marked with incidents all across BiH in cities such as Brcko, Foca, Gacko, Janja and Prijedor where Bosnian Serbs intimidated genocide survivors and other minorities, and showcased that they are above the law.
Thousands of Serbs across BiH’s smaller entity joined the militarized police in instilling fear, and glorified convicted war criminals Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic. In attendance of the illegal event were anti-Western leaders such as Prime Minister Ana Brnabic of Serbia, as well as members of the Chinese and Russian diplomatic corps, signifying an act of aggression and complete disregard for BiH’s institutions. Leading up to this overt display of genocide denial and armed intimidation is a culmination of thirty years of genocidal policies by the Bosnian Serbs. Propped up by Russia and Serbia, this latest grave attack on BiH’s sovereignty is a dangerous step in the direction of secession and war.
The Advisory Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina (ACBH) calls upon the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina to be prepared to decisively regain full control of its territory and restore the rule of law. The primary responsibility of any state is to ensure order and safety of all of its citizens, and the principal responsibility lies with the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ethno-nationalism and dangerous acts of secession should not be tolerated. It is the duty of the government of BiH to restore order, and it is in the interest of BiH’s Western allies to support BiH in the defense of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
U.S. has maintained support of BiH’s sovereignty and territorial integrity since the 1990s, when the U.S.-led NATO effort stopped the ethnic cleansing and genocide of BiH’s non-Serb population. Since then, the U.S. has invested billions of dollars in post-war reconstruction efforts, and in 2017, the U.S. government sanctioned Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of BiH’s tripartite Presidency. The sanctions served as a consequence after a series of aggressive moves that fundamentally violated the 1995 General Framework Agreement for Peace, otherwise known as the Dayton Accords. The accords brought the 1992-1995 war of aggression against BiH to an end, and became the basis for the country’s constitution.
Despite multiple warnings by the United States and the international community, the authorities in RS blatantly disregarded the Constitutional Court of BiH by holding an illegal referendum on September 25, 2016. The referendum specifically defied the court’s ruling that the Bosnian Serbs’ celebration of January 9th as the “National Day of Republika Srpska” was unconstitutional, as it discriminates against the non-Serb residents of RS. Last week, the United States imposed new sanctions on Milorad Dodik for threatening to pull the Serbs out of the Armed Forces of BiH, corruption and a series of warmongering moves that aim to create separate institutions altogether.
ACBH would like to remind friends of BiH that:
1). RS is an entity of BiH and comprises 49% of BiH’s territory. It is not a sovereign nation-state, nor is it an actual Republic. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country with two entities – the Federation and RS, with the capital city being Sarajevo.
2). RS is a direct product of violent ethnic cleansing and genocide, and its political leadership has exhausted a considerable amount of taxpayer money on the denial of genocide of its non-Serb population. During the war of aggression against BiH, the Serb forces ethnically cleansed the overwhelming majority of the non-Serb population from what is now RS at the command of Radovan Karadzic – former President of RS. On March 24, 2016, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia convicted Karadzic of genocide in Srebrenica and crimes against humanity against BiH’s non-Serb civilians. Further, the United States House of Representatives unanimously passed House Resolution 199 and House Resolution 310 affirming “the aggression and ethnic cleansing committed by Serb forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina meet the terms defining genocide according to the 1949 Genocide Convention.”
The United States of America has always stood by Bosnia and Herzegovina and the latest series of sanctions showcase that strong support. It is now up to the pro-BiH leaders within BiH to act accordingly, and take decisive actions against separatists. History has shown that displays of condemnation without a credible deterrent are not effective against bad actors. Members of the BiH diaspora and those living in Bosnia and Herzegovina must petition their respective leaders to take swift action against separatists, and the U.S. and EU should uphold their commitment to the Dayton Peace Accords and assist BiH leaders in this effort.
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ACBH is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the interests of Bosnian Americans, and works to improve relations between the United States and BiH. ACBH advocates for a democratic BiH with a primary goal of advancing the integration of BiH into NATO and the EU.
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