The president of Bosnia's autonomous Serb Republic defied rulings by the international envoy to Bosnia, whose role is to prevent the multi-ethnic Balkan state slipping back into conflict.

Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik speaks after a court sentenced him to one year in prison and banned him from engaging in politics for six years over his separatist actions, during a rally in the Bosnian town of Banja Luka, 240 kms northwest of Sarajevo, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.

Serb leader Milorad Dodik failed to answer a court summons for allegedly trying to undermine the constitution. He has dismissed the arrest warrant as politically motivated.