DEFENSE TEAM COULD SEEK JUSTICE FOR DODIK BEFORE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

BELGRADE, AUGUST 13 /SRNA/ – Lawyer Goran Petronijević stated that the defense team of the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, intends to turn to the European Court of Human Rights to correct the judicial “mess” committed in BiH against the President of Srpska.

Petronijević explained that the proceedings before the Appellate Division of the Court of BiH regarding the decision of the Central Election Commission in Sarajevo to annul the presidential mandate, as well as the proceedings before the Constitutional Court, are a necessary prerequisite for this step, and he expects them to be concluded soon. He emphasized that, in this case, the trial is not being conducted against an ordinary individual, but against the President of Republika Srpska, who, in accordance with the Constitution, signed the decree on the entry into force of a law adopted in a legitimate and legal process by the only authorized legislative body in Republika Srpska – the National Assembly. “This process is a clear political abuse...,” Petronijević told Tanjug. He stated that, in the upcoming proceedings, one of the key points in proving the violation of Dodik’s rights as a private individual and as President of Republika Srpska will be the issue of the legitimacy of the so-called High Representative, Christian Schmidt. Petronijević reminded that Schmidt is not a legitimate High Representative, but a “self-proclaimed” official who came to BiH without a decision of the UN Security Council and caused chaos, stressing that this will be one of the points of proof. He pointed out that activities will also be carried out towards the international community, particularly towards countries such as Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia, which understand the situation and do not recognize the unlawful decision of the Court of BiH. Petronijević stated that Schmidt is a nobody in BiH, with many calling him a German tourist and former diplomat, but stressed that, despite everything, he is deliberately working to undermine BiH and create an all-encompassing constitutional crisis. He underscored that Schmidt is directly to blame for everything, assessing that Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats – that is, both entities and all three peoples – would find it much easier to make decisions beneficial to the survival of BiH as an internationally recognized joint state. He noted that BiH is a historical example of a country where, for more than 30 years, reconciliation, coexistence, and functioning among the peoples have been impossible, and that the sole destructive factor in BiH is part of the international community – namely, the role of the current High Representative. Petronijević pointed to similar processes in the USA and Europe, including cases against the President of the National Rally in France, Marine Le Pen, the German opposition party AfD, the Freedom Party in Austria, and the Prime Ministers of Slovakia and Hungary, Robert Fico and Viktor Orban, as well as politicians in Romania and Moldova. Speaking about the potential resolution of the crisis in BiH and a return to the original Dayton Agreement, Petronijević noted that Serbs and Croats, as well as the entity of Republika Srpska, are in favor of respecting the original Dayton Accords, while a part of the Federation entity and the Bosniak, that is, Muslim side support the preservation of illegitimate Dayton changes. “That is, in fact, one-third. This in itself undermines the democratic principle, where the majority should make decisions,” Petronijević added. According to him, BiH is being dismantled by those from Sarajevo who violate the Dayton Constitution and the Dayton Agreement, the self-appointed or self-proclaimed High Representative Christian Schmidt, and several embassies that support him. Petronijević assessed that Sarajevo now has no option left but to reach constitutional de-escalation in BiH through negotiations. “This is a political, not a legal problem. This is an abuse of law for the purpose of gaining political points. These problems can only be resolved through negotiations and mutual agreements. There is no other way,” Petronijević concluded.