The blacklist is getting longer, and reactions from Banja Luka to the sanctioning of three more associates of entity president Milorad Dodik are getting louder. Words are not being minced and in the forefront are the accusations against the United States (U.S.) ambassador, Michael Murphy.
Employees in the Office of the President of Republika Srpska (RS), Jelena Pajic Bastinac, Branislav Okuka, as well as the Chairperson of the Council of Peoples of RS Srebrenka Golic, are new names on the old, well-known, and quite full U.S. list of sanctioned individuals. They have earned their place on the blacklist, it is stated, because of the organization and implementation of the celebration of the Day of RS, which is considered a criminal act, and for not implementing the decision of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and for disregarding the decisions of the High Representative.
The RS government on January 8th, 9th, and 10th, 2024, organized celebrations of the Day of RS, violating previous decisions of the Constitutional Court of BiH which declared the marking of that holiday on January 9th unconstitutional, as it prioritizes “the religious heritage, tradition, and customs of only the Serbian people”, thereby violating the constitutional obligation of non-discrimination, stated the U.S. embassy. The sanctioned Minister of Health of the RS says that it is absurd to punish people who celebrate Dayton.
“All this about sanctions is becoming truly absurd. RS celebrates peace and its Day with pride, because the identity of RS will be lost if this is not the case,” said Alen Seranic, RS Minister of Health.
In the SDS, they say they have been going through agony for decades due to dismissals and sanctions. The largest opposition party is still on the OFAC list, which is why their domain was canceled last year, and the website shut down.
“In my opinion, this type of sanctions can only increase the rating of the ruling structure. And I am generally against any sanctions and impositions for the organization in BiH and RS,” said Ognjen Bodiroga, a member of the Presidency of the SDS.
The political council of the ruling Democratic Union (Demos) believes that BiH is a protectorate, hardly sustainable as such.
The newly sanctioned individuals emphasize that it is an honor and pleasure for them to be on the blacklist with people like Milorad Dodik, who, on the other hand, regrets that due to all this, his good associates will have to go through difficult challenges. The first challenge could be the embargo on card payments in the country and abroad. Due to warnings from the U.S., many banks in BiH have found themselves in a dilemma on how to proceed, and the Association of Banks will request further clarification, N1 reports.
E.Dz.
