The Institute for the Research of Genocide in Canada (IGC) has filed a criminal complaint against the Serb member of Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency, Milorad Dodik, for denying the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide.

The complaint was filed based on a law introduced by the former international administrator in the country in July.

Former High Representative Valentin Inzko, tasked with overseeing the civilian implementation of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement in BiH, used his special powers to impose a law that makes genocide and war crimes denial, as well as glorification of war criminals, illegal in the country.

“With his actions, the suspected member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, knowingly and intentionally publicly denied the genocide in Srebrenica, which was determined by final verdicts of international and national courts, with the aim of provoking interethnic intolerance, discord and hatred. The suspect thus inflicted pain on the survivors of the genocide, degraded the judicial, scientific and historical truth about the genocide, belittled justice and humiliated international law and international institutions,” the complaint says.

The IGC also submitted material evidence of at least three cases where Dodik publicly denied the Srebrenica genocide after the law came into force to the BiH Prosecutor’s Office.

“Denial of the genocide in Srebrenica in the observed period of time, at least three times by the suspect, is an unequivocal conscious violation of the provision of Article 145a paragraph (3) of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” the IGC said.

The organisation asked the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina to undertake all actions and activities provided by law and to initiate criminal proceedings against Dodik.

“By advocating the denial of genocide, Dodik imposes collective guilt on the entire Serb people, although he presents it as a defence of the national interest,” reads the statement of the IGC.