The United States expects that the relevant law enforcement and judicial authorities will investigate any violations of law that occur related to the celebration of the Day of the Republika Srpska on January 9, the US Embassy in BiH stated.

They stated that the BiH Constitutional Court has made clear in multiple rulings that the celebration of the Day of the Republika Srpska on January 9 is unconstitutional.  The issue is not the celebration of the holiday, but rather the decision to do so on January 9.

”The linking of the commemoration to an Orthodox religious holiday violates several provisions of the BiH Constitution that prohibit discrimination.  This is a matter of law, not an opinion. Article III (3) of the Dayton Constitution requires the entities to comply fully with the decisions of the institutions of BiH, including the final and binding rulings of the BiH Constitutional Court,” the Embassy stressed.

They said that non-compliance with decisions of the BiH Constitutional Court constitutes a criminal offense under the BiH Criminal Code.  This, too, is a matter of law, not an opinion.

”The United States has acted to address anti-Dayton actions like this in the past and will not hesitate to do so again in the future,” the US Embassy in BiH stated on the occasion of the celebration of the unconstitutional “day of RS”.