SARAJEVO – Officers of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) attempted on Wednesday evening to arrest the President of Republika Srpska entity Milorad Dodik, at the Administrative Center of the RS Government in East Sarajevo. However, arrest was unsuccessful as the RS entity police prevented Dodik’s apprehension.
Although the situation in this part of Sarajevo was tense on Wednesday evening, no violence or clashes occurred, and SIPA forces withdrew after a brief standoff.
Milorad Dodik claimed that SIPA was demonstrating force, adding that the agency has no jurisdiction within RS entity. He announced that legal action would be taken against who, according to him, violated RS laws.
He emphasized that RS police would not back down in the face of SIPA, the Court, or the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH.
According to N1 BiH, heavy forces of RS Interior Ministry remain deployed on the ground, securing all access points to the building. Media have not been allowed to approach the site, as was also the on Wednesday. It remains unclear whether Dodik is still inside the building or if he left the RS Government during the last night.
The arrest attempt was based on an order issued by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina against Milorad Dodik for the criminal offence of undermining constitutional order. In addition to Milorad Dodik, the Court of BiH had previously issued arrest warrants for RS Prime Minister Radovan Višković and the Speaker of the RS National Assembly, Nenad Stevadić.
All 16 police agencies operating at the state, entity, and cantonal levels are obligated to act on the arrest warrants issued for Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, RS Prime Minister Radovan Višković, and RS National Assembly Speaker Nenad Stevandić.
SIPA is responsible for investigating the most serious criminal offenses, including organized crime and war crimes. In addition to SIPA, other state-level agencies include the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina, responsible for the security of the country’s borders, and the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies, which oversees cooperation between domestic law enforcement agencies and their counterparts abroad, as well as the protection of individuals and facilities.