How far can Milorad Dodik go? According to Die Tageszeitung, this question is not only asked by journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) but also by non-governmental organizations after the president of Republika Srpska (RS) received support in criminalizing defamation in that entity. Now, according to this German newspaper, there is a fear that this step is not only directed against the Dayton Peace Agreement but opens the way for a dictatorship, as in Belarus.
Die Tageszeitung states that the term “defamation” in this entity is a paraphrase for “criticism of existing conditions”, and quotes the organization Transparency International (TI), which stated that this heralds a “new phase of open repression”, and that the RS is thus classified “among the worst authoritarian regimes in this part of the world”.
According to the interpretation of journalist Erich Rathfelder, that law is primarily intended for “journalists, media, activists, opposition politicians and anyone who criticizes social conditions.” He warns that this is not only the case in the RS, but also citizens of the Federation of BiH (FBiH), and even foreign journalists if they work in the territory of RS, would fall under this law.
“With the new law, Milorad Dodik, who has good relations with Russia, responds to the sanctions that were personally imposed on him by the United States (U.S.) and the United Kingdom (UK). Now the European Union (EU) and above all the High Representative for BiH Christian Schmidt will have to react not only verbally but also practically,” says Rathfelder.
“Will there be a clear and strong response from Schmidt, the EU, and the U.S.,” he asks.
He states that there is not much hope in Sarajevo that the EU would be able to react.
“With Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Hungary, a right-wing government in Italy, and right-wing forces gaining influence in Spain, Scandinavia, and Germany, Dodik can now dare to take such steps,” he states.
Rathfelder points out that the number of EUFOR soldiers in BiH is also increasing.
“However, in Sarajevo, all political camps doubt the political will of Europe to take harsh measures against Dodik. And the U.S. has also shown itself to be indecisive,” he concluded, N1 reports.
E.Dz.
