US Senators Call for Reinstatement of Sanctions Against Republika Srpska Officials

Republican and Democratic senators have called on President Donald Trump’s administration to reinstate sanctions against Republika Srpska officials that were lifted in October 2025.

Their reaction follows the questioning by authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Republika Srpska entity of current and former employees of the Potočari Memorial Center who were involved in drafting a report on genocide denial.

In a statement published on August 6, the senators expressed deep concern that 26 current and former employees and associates had been questioned over the past week at the Police Directorate in Zvornik, Radio Free Europe reported, according to KosovaPress.

According to them, the scale and timing of these actions raise concerns, particularly given the importance of the Memorial Center’s work in preserving the truth, honoring the victims, and protecting human rights. They called on the competent authorities to respect the rule of law and the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s institutions, and to ensure that the Memorial Center can continue its essential mission without intimidation.

The statement was issued by a group of senators representing various Senate committees, including the Foreign Relations Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Subcommittee on Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly’s Security and Defense Committee, as well as members of the Helsinki Commission.

The senators also called on the US administration to enforce the sanctions approved through the National Defense Authorization Act. They stressed that the position of the US House of Representatives and Senate has been clear that the Srebrenica massacre was genocide.

According to them, even more than 30 years later, there remains a responsibility to remember the victims, support their families, and prevent the denial or erasure of this tragic history. The senators warned that distorting history for political interests deepens divisions, fuels ethnic tensions, and endangers peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The statement called on the administration to implement the mandatory sanctions approved under the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026, with the aim of holding accountable those responsible for destabilizing actions and undermining democratic institutions.

The District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bijeljina had previously confirmed to Radio Free Europe’s Balkan Service that a case had been opened to verify information and a complaint concerning the activities of the Srebrenica Memorial Center Public Institution during 2022.

The Prosecutor’s Office said that the case remains in the verification stage due to suspicions of the criminal offense of evading taxes and contributions. Meanwhile, other institutions are working to secure documentation and other evidence.

The Prosecutor’s Office in Republika Srpska stated that no order to launch an investigation has been issued so far and that the individuals are being questioned solely as witnesses. The prosecutor will decide on further steps once the necessary documents and evidence have been collected.

Emir Sulagić, director of the Memorial Center, has repeatedly warned that the institution is facing pressure from Republika Srpska structures because of its work, particularly activities related to documenting the genocide and its denial.

For years, Republika Srpska authorities, including its highest-ranking political officials, have denied and challenged the rulings of domestic and international courts concerning the Srebrenica genocide.

The Srebrenica Memorial Center is a state institution opened in 2003 at the former United Nations base. Its work focuses on preserving the memory of more than 8,000 Bosniaks killed during the genocide in July 1995.