January 16 (SeeNews) - The UK government said it has frozen assets of Bosnian marketing company Mania and banned it from doing business with UK companies because of actions contravening the country's constitution.
Mania delivered a contract to organise public celebrations to mark the Day of the Serb Republic on January 9, which has been repeatedly ruled unconstitutional and discriminatory by Bosnia’s Constitutional Court, the UK government said in a press release on Monday.
Bosnia and Herzegovina was divided into two constituent entities - the Serb Republic and the Federation, under the Dayton peace agreement after a war which lasted from 1992 to 1995. The Federation and the Serb Republic have their own governments and parliaments and are linked by a weak central government. The Day of the Serb Republic marks the unilateral declaration of independence made by Bosnian Serb leaders in 1992, which preceded the war. The event has been used by politicians as a vehicle to promote secessionist rhetoric.
The UK government sanctioned Milorad Dodik, president of the Serb Republic, and Zeljka Cvijanovic, the Serb member of Bosnia's collective presidency, in April 2022 for using their positions of authority to push for de facto secession of the Serb Republic and for using hate speech to stir ethnic tensions.
"Our action today should serve as a warning to others, whether politicians or businesses, who seek to destabilise the country. The UK will continue to support and protect peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider Western Balkans region," UK minister for Europe Leo Docherty said in the statement.
Mania has over 20 employees in its offices in Banja Luka and Belgrade, according to its website.