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Despite being ruled unconstitutional, celebrations marking “Republika Srpska Day” were held again on Friday in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s city of Banja Luka, as Bosnian Serb authorities defied a ban imposed by the country’s top court.
Bosnian Serbs marked their autonomous region’s statehood day as the former president, Milorad Dodik, reaffirmed his commitment to taking Republika Srpska out of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina ruled in 2016 that the holiday violates the constitution, but authorities in Republika Srpska, one of the country’s two entities, continue to observe it annually.
A parade was held in Banja Luka, the de facto capital of Republika Srpska, involving special police units, armored vehicles, wartime veterans and civilians.
About 2,000 participants took part, including police officers and veterans, while only a few hundred supporters gathered to watch in freezing temperatures.
Officials said around 2,700 members of Republika Srpska–affiliated police units were involved, with military vehicles displayed along the route.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić also issued a congratulatory message marking the occasion.
The Office of the High Representative (OHR), the international body overseeing civilian implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement, said Republika Srpska has for years failed to respect Constitutional Court rulings.
The OHR stressed that organizing and participating in the celebrations constitutes a criminal offense under Bosnian law.
Bosnia’s Constitutional Court has ruled twice that Jan. 9 is illegal because it discriminates against Bosniaks and Croats living in Republika Srpska. The date coincides with Serbian Orthodox Christian celebrations and excludes non-Serb communities.
Speaking in Banja Luka on Thursday, Dodik rejected the authority of the court and international officials.
“Do they really think that we will obey them? Do they think that we are afraid? History does not belong to those who fear,” he said.
Dodik was previously removed as Republika Srpska’s president for violating rulings of the Constitutional Court and the international peace envoy.
Despite backing down on several separatist laws under Western pressure, Dodik has continued to openly advocate secession.
“When we depart, we will take 49% of Bosnia with us,” he said.
Jan. 9 marks the date in 1992 when Bosnian Serbs declared independence as the former Yugoslavia began to collapse, a move that preceded the 1992–95 Bosnian war.
For many Bosniaks, the date symbolizes the beginning of ethnic cleansing and genocide committed against non-Serbs during the conflict.
In 2015, Bakir Izetbegovic, then leader of the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action, filed a legal challenge against the holiday. The Constitutional Court later ruled that celebrating Jan. 9 was unconstitutional and discriminatory.
In defiance, Republika Srpska authorities held a referendum in 2016, claiming 99% support for marking Jan. 9 as the entity’s official day. The court rejected the vote and reaffirmed the ban.
The 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement ended the Bosnian war and established Bosnia and Herzegovina as a single state composed of two entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska.
While Dayton halted the fighting, disputes over its interpretation and implementation continue to fuel political tensions, with weak central institutions linking the two largely autonomous entities.
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