Bosnian court upholds ban on 'discriminatory' Serb national day
9/17/2016 6:53:11 PM
Bosnia's top court upheld a ban on a national holiday in the autonomous Serb Republic, saying its date, which coincides with an Orthodox Christian holiday, discriminated against the region's Muslims Bosniaks and Catholic Croatians.
In its ruling, the Sarajevo Constitutional Court also ordered the regional government to halt a planned referendum on whether to hold the holiday.
The Serb Republic is expected to defy the rulings and push on with the referendum, planned for next Sunday, which could deepen ethnic divisions in the country, whose intricate federal structure was set up to preserve unity in the aftermath of war 20 years ago.
In its ruling, the Sarajevo Constitutional Court also ordered the regional government to halt a planned referendum on whether to hold the holiday.
The Serb Republic is expected to defy the rulings and push on with the referendum, planned for next Sunday, which could deepen ethnic divisions in the country, whose intricate federal structure was set up to preserve unity in the aftermath of war 20 years ago.