Republika Srpska Supreme Court rules discrimination against Bosniak children over language labeling

The Supreme Court of Republika Srpska ruled that the entity’s authorities and the "Sveti Sava" elementary school in Zvornik discriminated against Bosniak children by designating their language as "the language of the Bosniak people" instead of "Bosnian language" in school records. The decision ends a decade‑long legal battle launched by parents from the village of Liplje, who sought equal treatment for their children in student booklets, birth registers and other documentation.

Parents welcomed the verdict, urging other schools to adopt the same standards. Representative Muharem Sinanović of the Liplje Parents’ Council recalled the hardships endured, stating, “Then for a while the Bosnian language was being written, then it was left free, blank, then there were strikes, hunger strikes, death threats…”. The ruling is expected to prompt a review of language labeling practices across Republika Srpska schools.