Court Backs Jail Sentence for Bosnian Serb Leader

Milorad Dodik said he was the victim of a ‘political decision’ and would be writing a letter to the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik speaks during a rally in Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina, on Feb. 26, 2025. Radivoje Pavicic, AP

An appeals court in Bosnia-Herzegovina confirmed on Friday the sentence of a lower court that the Bosnian Serb president, Milorad Dodik, should go to jail for one year and be banned from politics for six years.

Dodik has repeatedly called for the Serb-run half of Bosnia-Herzegovina, known as Republika Srpska, to break away and join neighboring Serbia.