Bosnian-Serb nationalist leader Milorad Dodik goes on trial on Wednesday accused of refusing to recognise rulings by the international envoy overseeing peace in Bosnia.
Mr Dodik, who is president of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s majority-Serb area, rejects Christian Schmidt’s authority. He has repeatedly threatened to secede.
Under the US-brokered Dayton deal that ended the Bosnian war in the 1990s, Mr Schmidt can cancel laws or dismiss officials who threaten the peace.
More than 100,000 people died during the 1992-95 civil war. Afterwards, Bosnia was split into two semi-autonomous regions, the majority-Serb Republika Srpska and the Bosniak-Croat Federation.
Wednesday’s trial is the culmination of a battle of wills that started when Christian Schmidt became international High Representative two years ago.
His predecessor, Valentin Inzko, only deployed his extensive executive powers once, right at the end of his 12 years in office. But Mr Schmidt has been keen to impose his authority from the start – and Milorad Dodik has been equally keen to challenge him.
The 64-year-old Bosnian-Serb leader has introduced a series of laws which have attempted to delegitimise Bosnia’s national institutions.
Credit: bbc.com
