Schmidt calls, no one answers: Implement judgments, all citizens must have equal rights

SARAJevo, (Patria) - High Representative Christian Schmidt reminded that the essence of the now 12-year-old judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the Sejdić – Finci case is clear: all citizens in BiH should have equal rights. The Sejdić-Finci judgment is not the only judgment of the European Court of Human Rights that the authorities in BiH continue to ignore - the authorities must also take the steps ordered by that court in the judgments in the Zornić, Pilav and Šlaku cases, as well as the most recent Pudarić case, which would end discrimination based on ethnic affiliation or place of residence.

Annex IV of the Dayton Peace Agreement, which contains the Constitution of this country, states that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a democratic state, operating in accordance with the rule of law, and that the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and its Protocols apply directly in Bosnia and Herzegovina and have priority over all other laws.

With this in mind, it is time to offer every citizen of BiH equal treatment, as stated in the Sejdić-Finci judgment.

“The Council of Europe has shown great patience for 12 long years. Both the spirit of the Dayton Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights provide a good basis for their assessment. At the same time, the intention of this judgment is not to question the statehood of the three constituent peoples. As long as the competent bodies of BiH do not decide otherwise, that remains in force. What is urgently needed is to eliminate discrimination in the electoral process concerning the Presidency and the House of Peoples of BiH, so that all citizens have an equal right to participate in the general elections in 2022 in accordance with the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights.

In this regard, I call for a limited reform of the BiH Constitution and amendments to the Election Law in order to strengthen the fundamental principles and transparency of elections in BiH,” said High Representative Christian Schmidt today.