Judson University faces backlash over ‘Democracy Award’ to sanctioned Bosnian leader

Judson University is coming under fire for honoring a European leader who some claim denies or minimizes a mass killing that international authorities have deemed a genocide.

On Thursday, the private Baptist university in Elgin plans to give Milorad Dodik its first “Leadership and Standing Up for Democracy Award” during a World Leaders Forum event.

But Jedna BiH Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based organization of expatriates dedicated to preserving the unity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is asking Judson to rescind the award and cancel the event.

The group says Dodik was charged with violating a law that prohibits denying the July 1995 Srebrenica genocide, in which about 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were killed when a United Nations-designated safe zone was overtaken by Bosnian Serbs during a civil war.

“The invitation of speakers to the World Leaders Forum is not an endorsement of their views. Rather, the university remains committed to fostering open dialogue by welcoming a range of perspectives — including those considered controversial — so students can engage directly with complex global issues,” said Mark Vargas, a graduate of the university and chairman of the board of directors of the World Leaders Forum.

The World Leaders Forum is a charity that provides scholarships to students.

Vargas said Dodik is getting the award “in recognition of what we view as his role in advocating for national sovereignty, local governance, and the rights of the Serbian people in his region.”

Dodik was removed from office in 2025 following a conviction for refusing to enforce the decisions of the High Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The U.N.-appointed official oversees implementation of the peace pact that ended the war.

Dodik is an ethnic Serb. He named a university dormitory after a leader of Serbia who was convicted of genocide and war crimes, including the attack on Srebrenica.

The Associated Press has reported that Dodik said the massacre was a “mistake” and a “huge crime.” “But it wasn’t genocide,” Dodik said.

“We do not want to live in the same state with you (Bosniaks), and we will not live in the same state with you,” Dodik said. “We will do it (split) when the conditions are right.”