Dodik and Lukić in BiH Court Today

(Patria) - The trial of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and acting Director of the Official Gazette of Republika Srpska Miloš Lukić continues today at the BiH Court.

The previous two hearings on December 6 and 20 were not formally held because the defense requested that the trial be moved to Banja Luka.

The National Assembly of Republika Srpska, where Dodik's Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) holds a majority, passed two laws in June 2023. The laws stipulated that decisions of the Constitutional Court of BiH would not be implemented in the territory of this entity, nor would decisions of the High Representative of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina (OHR) be published in the entity's official gazette.

The High Representative in BiH, Christian Schmidt, annulled both adopted laws on July 1, while the legislative procedure was still ongoing. On the same day, Schmidt, using his "Bonn powers," imposed amendments to the Criminal Code of BiH.

By amending the Criminal Code of BiH, the High Representative stipulated that an official who does not implement or respect the decisions of the High Representative can be punished with a prison sentence of six months to five years, as well as be banned from holding any position in any body that is fully or partially funded from the budget.