Democracy

Three legal cases/political scandals during 2018-19 grabbed the attention of the domestic public and the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The first two concerned the unresolved deaths of two young men, Dženan Memić in Sarajevo and David Dragičević in Banja Luka. The improper investigative conduct of the police and judiciary regarding their deaths raised suspicions of cover-ups and political interference. The third concerned corruption allegations against Milan Tegeltija, then president of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HJPC), the BiH judiciary’s self-managing body. The three cases marked the nadir of a steady decline of the rule of law institutions in BiH over the last decade and a half, and stand in stark contrast to 2005 when BiH was a frontrunner among Western Balkan countries aspiring to European Union (EU) membership. Rule of law achievements until then had been the result of substantial and systematic judicial and (to a lesser degree) police reform carried out during the immediate post-war period under the leadership of the international community.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Refugee Convention (GRC) it seems more important than ever, to bring the Convention’s indispensable importance for refugee protection back to the attention of policy makers and a broader public.

Open position The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Tirana office is welcoming applications for the open position FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION COORDINATOR as of 1st of July 2021. The deadline for applications is 23rd of May 2021.

Vacancy Announcement: Office Manager Open position The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Tirana office is welcoming applications for the open position Office Manager as of 1st of July 2021. The deadline for applications is 23rd of May 2021.

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) cannot yet be defined as a new "stable democracy". Čović (HDZ B&H) is trying to make changes to the B&H Election Law before the 2022 General Elections, which is to ensure the "legitimate representation" of the constituent peoples. In this way, with "legitimate representatives", a way would be opened for the implementation of their own long-term strategy, which undoubtedly goes in the direction of rounding off the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina which is inhabited by majority Catholic population, i.e. the rebirth of the "extinguished" so-called Herzeg-Bosna, its full territorial and political autonomy and its eventual annexation to the Republic of Croatia.

Only when enlightened citizens realize that they have rights and that they can and must use them to change the system for the better, something will change.

The Dayton Agreement is centred around a warped, ethnicised view that accords a special role in the state to the three constitutional peoples – the Bosniaks, the Croats and the Serbs. The overall population, the citizens, the citoyens were effectively stripped of their powers; the individual person degraded – existing merely as an instrument of ethnic power cartels. Click here for download

Tirana's historic building stock is disappearing. Overnight, listed buildings lose their status and are demolished the next day. Last year, at least ten villas were levelled to the ground. In their place, multi-story residential and commercial buildings are being built by private investors. This development does not benefit the city's residents.

Appealing to their responsibilities and ethics, the media has a huge responsibility in contributing to the image of refugees and migrants as criminals of refugees by creating a confusion between “Knowledge” and “Opinion”, fact and rumors. Is an ethics of media discourse possible? Fortunately some organizations such as the Media Centar Sarajevo and Raskrinkavanje try to prevent the phenomena, by imposing a time for a deeper analysis of the information for a reconstruction of reflection. Elvira Jukić-Mujkić, editor at Media Centar Sarajevo, will share a part of this reflection.