Poland has started procedures to ban the entry and transit of Milorad Dodik, the leader of the Republic of Srpska, a political entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina. This was confirmed on May 13 by the Polish Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina to Radio Free Europe.
The procedure was initiated due to “serious violations of the integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, which is recognized as a subject of international law, according to the Embassy’s statement. The initiative was undertaken by the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, and a detailed explanation for the decision will be published after the conclusion of the procedure and the enforcement of the entry ban.
The authorities in the Republic of Srpska, led by Dodik, have begun approving a series of unconstitutional decisions and laws, prompting the Bosnian Prosecutor’s Office to launch investigations against the leadership of this entity and issue arrest warrants. Dodik, along with Nenad Stevandić (Chairman of the Assembly) and Radovan Višković (Prime Minister of Republic of Srpska), are suspected of attacking the constitutional order.
In March, an arrest warrant was issued for them after they failed to respond to a summons from the Bosnian Prosecutor’s Office for questioning. On February 26, a court sentenced Dodik to one year in prison and banned him from holding the position of President of the Republic of Srpska for six years due to his non-compliance with the decisions of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Following actions threatening Bosnia’s constitutional order, both Germany and Austria imposed entry bans on Dodik, Stevandić, and Višković in April. Dodik, along with key family members and political collaborators, is already on the U.S. sanctions list, and the United Kingdom has also imposed sanctions on him.
