The US Embassy recalled the rulings of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina that found the celebration of the Day of Republika Srpska on January 9th to be unconstitutional, and warned that failure to comply with these decisions constitutes a criminal offense and that the US expects law enforcement and judicial authorities to “act swiftly and decisively to investigate all violations of the law” related to this issue.
“The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has repeatedly ruled that the celebration of the Day of Republika Srpska on January 9th is unconstitutional. This decision remains in effect regardless of who participates in the celebration. The problem is not only the celebration of the holiday, but especially the choice of January 9th, which coincides with an Orthodox religious holiday and violates several provisions of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina that prohibit discrimination. This decision is based on law, not opinion,” the embassy’s post on X reads.
“According to Article III(3) of the Dayton Constitution, all entities are obliged to fully respect the decisions of the institutions of BiH, including binding and final decisions of the Constitutional Court. Failure to comply with these decisions constitutes a crime under the Criminal Code of BiH. The United States expects law enforcement and judicial authorities to act swiftly and decisively to investigate all violations of the law related to the celebration of the Day of Republika Srpska on January 9,” it is emphasized.
