The Basic Court in Banja Luka has ruled that former Republika Srpska president Milorad Dodik discriminated against LGBT people on several occasions in March 2023. The decision, obtained by the Sarajevo Open Centre, stated that Dodik’s public statements created a
hostile and offensive environment
based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sexual characteristics.
At the time, Dodik held one of the highest positions in the Serb-led entity. He repeatedly condemned LGBT individuals, asserting that
all activists of that group should be banned from propagating such things in schools [which]pollutes the public space.
Dodik also suggested that LGBT people could relocate to places where their lifestyle is accepted.
The pro-LGBT Sarajevo Open Centre—backed by the Norwegian embassy—welcomed the verdict as a symbolic reminder that no politician is above the law and that freedom of expression does not justify discriminatory statements against minority groups. Some observers might say that the ruling means that freedom of expression does not apply to critics of the Sarajevo Open Centre.
Dodik was removed from office last year following a state court conviction for disobeying the High Representative, the international overseer of Bosnia’s 1992–1995 peace agreement.
In November 2025, his ally Siniša Karan won the Republika Srpska presidential election with nearly 59% of the vote. The extraordinary election was triggered by Dodik’s removal and will see Karan serve a mandate of less than a year until the next general election in October.
