RS National Assembly urges Bosnia's Constitutional Court to reject appeals against ban on ARBiH symbols

Nenad Stevandic, President of the RS Assembly and Chairman of the Constitutional Affairs Committee, confirmed that the committee adopted formal responses to the Constitutional Court regarding Article 359b of the Republika Srpska Criminal Code, which establishes the offense.

"The Committee's position, in substantive terms, is that these requests are unfounded and that the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina should reject them in their entirety," Stevandic stated, asserting that the legislation complies fully with both the entity and state constitutions.

The constitutional challenges were submitted by 11 members of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Chair of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Becirovic, and the First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Denis Zvizdic.

In addition to challenging the substantive claims, the committee argued that the petitions failed to meet procedural requirements under the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the rules of the Constitutional Court.

Stevandic maintained that the law applies equally to all citizens within Republika Srpska, adding that the subjective views of certain individuals regarding state continuity and collective identity do not constitute a violation of broader national interests.