Bosnian Serbs on Thursday celebrated their self-proclaimed "national day," defying a top court ruling that declared the event unconstitutional.
January 9 marks the 1992 declaration of a "Serb republic" in Bosnia – an act that preceded the outbreak of a devastating inter-ethnic civil war three months later. The conflict, which lasted from 1992 to 1995, claimed 100,000 lives and left deep scars on the nation.
Since the war's end, Bosnia has been divided along ethnic lines into two semi-autonomous entities: Republika Srpska, dominated by Serbs, and the Muslim-Croat Federation.
The two entities are linked by weak central institutions, with each maintaining its own government.
On Thursday evening, up to 3,000 people gathered at the main square in Republika Srpska's administrative center, Banja Luka, to cheer a parade that featured police, war veterans, sports clubs, students, and various civilian associations, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) reporter.
Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik, who has repeatedly threatened to withdraw his republic from Bosnia, was absent as he is recovering from surgery.
In addition to Bosnian Serb officials, Serbia's Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic and Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin attended the event.
"This is not a holiday for a part of the Serbian people but a holiday for all Serbs, wherever they live," Vulin told the crowd.
The "holiday" has been ruled unconstitutional by Bosnia's Constitutional Court, as well as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The European Union delegation to Bosnia said in a statement Thursday that "Constitutional Court decisions ... need to be respected" and urged Bosnian Serb leaders to "refrain from and renounce provocative, divisive rhetoric and actions, including questioning the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the country."
In recent years, Dodik has used the occasion to present Republika Srpska's highest medal of honor to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.