Milorad Dodik and Zelja Cvijanovic remain under United Kingdom sanctions. This is stated in the response of the British Foreign Office sent to Radio Free Europe, to the question of whether this country will lift sanctions against the leader of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats and member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The UK’s response comes a day after the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) removed Dodik, Cvijanovic, as well as 48 other members of Dodik’s family, their companies and close associates from its sanctions list.
The Foreign Ministry’s response states that the United Kingdom’s sanctions regime allows for the imposition of sanctions against those who undermine or threaten the sovereignty, territorial integrity, international subjectivity or constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Milorad Dodik and Želka Cvijanović continue to be under sanctions due to such actions. The sanctions have their purpose. We hope that Dodik and Cvijanović will change their current course and show substantial commitment to respecting the Dayton Peace Agreement and the state institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” the response to REL states.
On April 11, 2022, the United Kingdom announced the imposition of sanctions on Milorad Dodik and Želja Cvijanović due to, as it was said, their efforts to undermine the legitimacy and functionality of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The sanctions, which include a travel ban and asset freeze, were the first under the British sanctions regime for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the British Government said at the time, stressing that they were “not sanctions against Republika Srpska or its citizens”.
The British sanctions mean that Dodik and Cvijanovic cannot travel to the United Kingdom nor use or access any assets they may own on UK territory.
As stated in the decision of the British authorities, “encouraged by Russian efforts to undermine the international system,” Dodik and Cvijanović have used their positions of power to push forward a de facto secession of Republika Srpska – one of the two constituent entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina – which is in direct violation of the state’s Constitution.
“Milorad Dodik has taken actions to separate Republika Srpska from key state institutions, using divisive, dangerous and nationalist rhetoric, undermining internal and Regional peace and inciting ethnic hatred and genocide denial.”
“Meanwhile, in October 2021, Zeljka Cvijanović used her position to submit draft laws to Republika Srpska that aimed to transfer state powers to the entity level. Cvijanović publicly praised war criminals and denied the genocide in Srebrenica,” the British Government document states.
At the time the sanctions were imposed, Dodik was a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Cvijanović was the president of Republika Srpska. (RFE)