Sarajevo court bans controversial Bosnian history textbook

January 24, 2025 – A court in Sarajevo has ruled that a textbook used in schools in Bosnia's Republika Srpska must be pulled due to its controversial content. The Constitutional Court on Thursday declared that the section on the founding of Republika Srpska in 1992 and the Bosnian War was unconstitutional and incompatible with educational standards.

The ruling followed a request from 13 Bosnian lawmakers who argued that the textbook glorified war criminals, including Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, both convicted of genocide. The court said the textbook section, titled "Republika Srpska and the Homeland Defence War," must no longer be taught to ninth-grade students.

The controversial curriculum, introduced in September, portrays Karadzic and Mladic as wartime heroes. The textbook also includes claims that Republika Srpska's January 9 "Day" is a legitimate celebration, despite a Constitutional Court ban on it for discrimination.

The court stated that history lessons must reflect multiple perspectives to offer a complete, objective picture of Bosnia’s past, particularly considering the ethnic and cultural divides.

In response to the verdict, Republika Srpska's education authorities have been ordered to enforce the decision and remove the offending sections from classrooms.