Bosnian Serb entity bans flags, symbols and emblems of country's army

The parliament of Bosnia's Serb-led entity, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, amended the entity's criminal code on Thursday, introducing prison sentences of up to five years for displaying or promoting flags and symbols of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina - the now-defunct Bosniak-led force that fought in the 1992-95 war.

The National Assembly of Republika Srpska also criminalized the display or promotion of flags and symbols of the Independent State of Croatia, a World War II-era fascist state allied with Nazi Germany.

The new provision states that anyone who “publicly displays, shows, wears, produces, reproduces or circulates flags, symbols, insignia, salutes, slogans or other signs that promote or glorify the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina” can be sentenced to up to three years in prison.

A harsher sentence of two to five years in prison is provided if such acts result in unrest, violence or other serious consequences for relations between other peoples and communities living in Republika Srpska.

The law also provides for the confiscation and destruction of objects used in the commission of a criminal offense, at the expense of the perpetrator.

The same changes prohibit the promotion and glorification of the Independent State of Croatia. Under the new provisions, anyone who uses print media, radio, television, computer systems, social networks or other platforms to promote their ideology faces up to three years in prison, increasing to five years if the criminal offense leads to riots, violence or public disorder.

The amendments must be approved by the Council of Peoples of Republika Srpska and signed by the entity's president before they can enter into force. They will enter into force upon their publication in the Official Gazette of the Republika Srpska Of the 58 members of the assembly present, only two voted against the amendments.

However, the legal changes are expected to face a legal challenge before the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina once they enter into force.

After the Washington Agreement was signed in 1994, which ended the armed conflict between Bosniak and Croat forces, the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Croatian Defense Council merged into the Army of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This army was later integrated into the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with the Army of Republika Srpska, during the 2006 military reform.