The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has authorized the issuance of an international arrest warrant for Milorad Dodik, the President of Republika Srpska, and Nenad Stevandić, the Speaker of the National Assembly of that entity.

The Court confirmed to Radio Free Europe on March 27 that “the issuance of an arrest warrant is the responsibility of the National Central Bureau of Interpol.”

The request for this international arrest warrant was made by the BiH Prosecutor’s Office, which has charged Dodik and Stevandić, along with Radovan Višković, the Prime Minister of Republika Srpska, with actions that undermine Bosnia and Herzegovina’s constitutional order.

According to the BiH Prosecutor’s Office, the basis for the warrant is that Dodik and Stevandić “used their high-ranking positions in Republika Srpska to evade legally mandated border control, crossing the state border and leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

The Court of BiH noted that Dodik is currently in Israel, while Stevandić returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 18, 2025, from Serbia, avoiding prescribed border procedures.

The Court of BiH further stated, “There is a strong likelihood that Dodik and Stevandić could be abroad at any moment.”

Dodik, Višković, and Stevandić are all under suspicion of attacking the constitutional order, with a central arrest warrant having been issued for them within Bosnia and Herzegovina, as confirmed to Radio Free Europe on March 17. All 16 police agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina are expected to carry out their arrests.

Where is Dodik?

Currently, Milorad Dodik is in Israel attending a conference on anti-Semitism in Jerusalem on March 26th and 27th, while an arrest warrant is active against him in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Dodik arrived in Israel on Tuesday via a government plane from Belgrade.

Just the day before, under unclear circumstances, he crossed the border from Bosnia to Serbia, traveling to Batajnica near Belgrade to commemorate the anniversary of the NATO bombing.

The BiH Border Police have announced an investigation into Dodik’s border crossing, noting the absence of border checkpoints at the Rača international border crossing between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.

What led to the detention request?

The call for the detention of the top RS officials comes during a tumultuous period following Dodik’s first-instance conviction on February 26, where he was sentenced to one year in prison and faced a six-year ban from public office for disrespecting the High Representative’s decisions.

In response, the RS National Assembly enacted unconstitutional laws aimed at undermining the Court and Prosecutor’s Office of BiH, as well as the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council.

On March 7, the Constitutional Court of BiH issued a temporary measure to halt the implementation of these laws.

Following this, RS authorities persisted with unconstitutional actions, including discussions on a new entity Constitution during the parliamentary session on March 12, which proposed RS’s designation as a “state,” the creation of an entity army, and the abolition of the RS Council of Peoples.

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