Woman Arrested Over Flag Display on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Statehood Day

NOVEMBER 28, 2024 — A woman was arrested in Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, after taking a photograph with the former flag of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina during a gathering marking Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Statehood Day on November 25, the Sarajevo Times reported.

The woman, part of a group assembled in Banja Luka’s Petar Kočić Park, was detained after police received reports from citizens alleging that the display of the flag disrupted public order. Authorities charged her with a misdemeanor under the Law on Public Order and Peace, stating that the act caused “public unrest.”

The flag in question, featuring golden lilies on a blue shield against a white background, served as the internationally recognized state flag of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1998.

Although not officially banned in Republika Srpska, it is often associated with Bosniaks and referred to by some Bosnian Serb officials as a “war flag.”

Republika Srpska’s President, Milorad Dodik, labeled the display a provocation.

“Banja Luka has been and will remain a city that welcomes and receives anyone of goodwill,” Dodik stated, while also asserting that “those who want to provoke the Serbian people with war flags are not welcome.”

On X, he described the gathering and flag display as “an unnecessary provocation” and “a clear message from Bosniaks to other peoples in BiH that they are still beating the drums of war.”

Image: Public domain

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