The parliament of Bosnia & Herzegovina’s Republika Srpska (NSRS) adopted on February 27 a set of laws banning the work of state-level judicial institutions on its territory and establishing local ones, in a move seen as the entity's legal secession from Bosnia.

The laws were adopted after the guilty verdict of Republika Srpska’s President Milorad Dodik, issued by a state-level court on February 26. Dodik had previously threatened that, if he was convicted, Republika Srpska would secede from Bosnia within 48 hours.

The entity’s parliament adopted a law on the non-application of laws and the prohibition of the activities of "non-constitutional institutions of BiH" with 49 votes in favour and just three against.

The law envisages a ban on the work and activities of Bosnia’s state-level court, the state-level prosecutor’s office, the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH on the territory of Republika Srpska.

Opposition MPs warned during the debate that the adoption of this law violates the Bosnian constitution.

Republika Srpska also adopted a law on the formation of its own High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council. The entity amended its criminal code, adding as a crime non-compliance with its laws by public figures holding posts in state or entity institutions. Residents working for state-level institutions are not forced to resign but must obey Republika Srpska’s new laws.

The parliament also adopted the so-called law on foreign agents, similar to those in Russia, Belarus and Georgia.

The adopted laws further raised political tensions in Bosnia, where Nato and EUFOR troops are ready to intervene in case of threat to peace. Nato’s Secretary General Mark Rutte will visit Bosnia in the coming days.

Bosnia’s state-level acting Security Minister Ivica Bosnjak said as quoted by N1 news outlet that there are no indications of instability and that the security situation is stable for the moment. The security authorities of Bosnia’s other autonomous entity – the Muslim-Croat Federation – also said they did not detect any threats to security in the country.

Prior to the adoption of the laws, Dodik spoke to lawmakers and said that now is the right time to act.

“Republika Srpska had to buy time to come to the moment we have today. We have never accepted that these are finished things. It is only a matter of time before you write a constitution and then turn it into law. We played very well, two processes failed, regardless of the fact that the EU and the United States were represented at the highest level. I am proud to say that we have a policy of non-compliance. I appreciate that today it is a favourable situation for Republika Srpska to restore subjectivity. We defend an international treaty called the Constitution of Bosnia & Herzegovina,” Dodik said as quoted by N1.

Drasko Stanivukovic, leader of the opposition PDP party, criticised the parliament’s decisions, saying they were premature.

"That is why we oppose the adoption of laws in the NSRS that prohibit the work of certain institutions, because we believe that they violate the border of peace and open space for further political instability. Such moves can further complicate the situation in BiH. That is why we have made it clear – we do not support this approach," Stanivukovic said.

He added that such a policy would drag Republika Srpska into a spiral of conflicts that could have serious consequences.

Another MP, Radislav Doncic of People’s Front, asked whether the ruling SNSD party is trying to drag Republika Srpska into war.

"People, where are you taking us now? Are you taking us to war? You say we are a country within a country, but what will the other side say? Who is going to stand up for Republika Srpska? Dodik mentions children, young police officers … Do you mean to sacrifice them? You play dangerous games. I do not know where all this will take us. If you manage to play all this, as you imagined, well done – then you are masters," Doncic said.

He accused the SNSD of adopting the laws just to stay in power.

Meanwhile, Denis Becirovic, member of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency, called a meeting with the international community’s high representative Christian Schmidt, the head of EU delegation to Bosnia Luigi Sorega, as well as the ambassadors of the members of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) excluding Russia, for February 28. The commanders of EUFOR and Nato troops in Bosnia are also invited to the meeting.