Interpol has rejected a request from a Bosnian court for a wanted alert concerning Milorad Dodik, the leader of the Bosnian Serb separatists, who faces accusations of undermining the constitutional order and has traveled abroad in defiance of the law, as reported by the court and a Serbian minister.
While Interpol has not provided any comments, Bosnia’s state court confirmed to Reuters that a Red Notice, which is typically issued for international fugitives, has not been activated.
“The court cannot disclose detailed reasons for Interpol’s decision as all other circumstances and information are deemed confidential,” the court stated.
The ongoing conflict, which positions Dodik and his allies, Russia and Serbia, against the United States and the European Union, represents one of the most significant threats to peace in the Balkans since the conflicts that erupted in the 1990s following the disintegration of socialist Yugoslavia.
The situation escalated after Dodik, who serves as the president of Bosnia’s autonomous Serb Republic, disregarded the directives of the international envoy to Bosnia, whose responsibility is to prevent the multi-ethnic Balkan nation from reverting to conflict.
In February, Dodik was sentenced to one year in prison and received a six-year ban from political activities for ignoring the envoy’s orders, a ruling he has the right to appeal. Last week, a Bosnian court mandated the issuance of an international arrest warrant for Dodik and his aide for their actions against the constitutional order, following their departure abroad in defiance of a domestic arrest warrant.
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The office of Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic released a statement late Wednesday, indicating that the Interpol General Secretariat assessed the request based on their protest note and the explanation from Interpol Belgrade, concluding that it did not comply with Article 3 of the Statute and that the criteria for issuing warrants were not satisfied.
“This demonstrates that Interpol is committed to maintaining its principles of neutrality and refraining from intervening in the internal political affairs of its member states,” the statement added.
