Sarajevo (Bosnia), Feb. 26 (LaPresse/AP) – The Sarajevo court has sentenced President Milorad Dodik to one year in prison and six years of political disqualification. The historic ruling comes after a year-long trial. Dodik was accused of defying the international High Representative, Christian Schmidt, who oversees peace in the Balkan country. The president, who was not in the courtroom when the sentence was read, stated that he would ignore any conviction and threatened "radical measures" in response, including the possible secession of Bosnia’s Serb entity, Republika Srpska, from the rest of the country. Dodik’s separatist threat has reignited fears in Bosnia, where the 1992-95 war resulted in 100,000 deaths and displaced millions of civilians. The U.S.-brokered Dayton Accords ended the conflict nearly three decades ago, creating two entities: Republika Srpska and the Croat-Bosniak Federation. These entities enjoy broad autonomy but share some institutions, including the military, high judiciary, and tax administration. Dodik was in the Serb-Bosnian administrative capital, Banja Luka, where thousands gathered in his support on Wednesday. "They say I am guilty, but now the people here will say why I am not," he told the crowd after the verdict was announced. "There is no reason to worry. I have learned to handle tougher situations. What matters is that you are here." In neighboring Serbia, pro-government media reported that populist President Aleksandar Vučić had convened an emergency session of the national security council.
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