The trial of Republika Srpska (RS) entity President Milorad Dodika and RS Official Gazette acting CEO Milos Lukic was postponed because the defence believes that they have the possibility of filing an appeal against the decision of the non-trial panel which rejected their request to transfer this case to the Basic Court in Banja Luka.

The start of the trial, which lasted only a short time, began with great applause.

At the very beginning, Dodik was bothered that there was a court police officer next to him, and he demanded that he move away.

The judge ordered certain individuals to leave the courtroom because they did not belong there, adding that they illegally brought a phone into the courtroom.

Otherwise, there was a great public interest in this trial, so all the rooms for watching the trial were full – more precisely 5 courtrooms and one press room.

After today’s hearing, Dodik said the trial was a political mock trial and insulted the High Representative Christian Schmidt and US Ambassador Michael Murphy.

“This is primarily a political trial, caused by the fact that a non-existent foreigner formally imposed some decisions and changed laws, which affects Bosnia and Herzegovina, its sovereignty above all,” Dodik said, about Schmidt whom he does not recognise as the High Representative.

Then he called Schmidt “a stinker” and Ambassador Murphy “an idiot” claiming that they are working together on “making life miserable in Bosnia and Herzegovina”

A prominent Croatian attorney who is on Dodik’s defence team, Anto Nobilo, implied that the Court is under political pressure and that the trial should be moved to Banja Luka.

“I reject that this move was in the direction of procrastination. The right to a fair trial is the foundation of every democracy. Every citizen has the right to a fair trial, including Dodik. Not to be contaminated or prejudiced. Several ambassadors and the minister have prejudged Milorad Dodik's guilt in the media. This is unacceptable pressure on the Court. It is contaminated. We don’t have an atmosphere in which a fair trial can take place. The only way is to get out of Sarajevo,” Nobilo said.

A new hearing should be held on December 20th.