Read the demands addressed to the PIC from today's protest rally in front of the OHR

(Patria) - The Association of Independent Intellectuals Krug 99 has sent a diplomatic note to the members of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC), ahead of the two-day session that will be held in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina over the next two days.

In the diplomatic note, which reflects the views of citizens and was read at today's peaceful protests in front of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) building in Sarajevo, the following is stated:

"Your Excellencies,

On behalf of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina who gathered at a peaceful protest on June 2, 2026 - immediately before your session - organized by Krug 99, we have the honor and duty to submit to you, with due respect, the following views and demands.

1. We warn of the unforeseeable consequences of any Council decision that would, in the midst of the deepest political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina since Dayton, lead to the abolition, modification, or relocation of the Office of the High Representative.

We are convinced that it is not possible to close or weaken the Office of the High Representative until the 5+2 conditions are met. Therefore, we believe that for peace, stability, and prosperity, it is necessary to retain the High Representative with existing powers, which must be consistently used to build BiH on the principles of modern democratic states.

We recall that, pursuant to Annex X of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the Office of the High Representative is an integral part of the peace arrangement, and that the scope of its redesign must be proportionate to the achieved level of democratic transition towards European standards and security circumstances.

2. In a state governed by the rule of law, the implementation of Constitutional Court rulings is not a matter of political choice, but a basic condition for preserving the legal order. We advocate for the consistent implementation of these rulings and demand mechanisms of political accountability for contrary actions.

Aware of the importance of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for the legal order of Europe, we expect the full engagement of the Council in the implementation of unenforced judgments against BiH, especially those concerning the equality of citizens in the electoral process and political representation.

The practice of the ECHR should be a constant guide for domestic judicial institutions, and personnel solutions within them should be free from political influence.

3. It is in the best interest of Bosnia and Herzegovina that the new High Representative comes from a European country, with high international credibility and a rich democratic tradition - capable and well-intentioned to lead Bosnia and Herzegovina from the Dayton to the Brussels phase.

4. We expect that the Council and the new High Representative will make a full contribution to regulating the issue of state property in accordance with European legal tradition.

We also expect the continued full engagement of representatives of the international community in preserving the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and international legal personality of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

5. We, the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, must defend the status of a sovereign Bosnian state and nation, acquired through international recognition as early as 1992.

Neither then, nor with the end of the aggression, was a protectorate established - but rather peace based on international guarantees and an order founded on rules, law, and customs of peaceful coexistence.

6. We demand the initiation of a process for adopting a civic constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina - the only framework in which BiH can become a full member of European and Euro-Atlantic integrations.

We insist on the introduction of a democratic decision-making principle that prevents blockades of the work of institutions. The establishment of a constitutional principle of equality and equal rights for all citizens of BiH, regardless of religious, cultural, ethnic, social, or other affiliation, is a condition for lasting peace and social renewal.

We ask Your Excellencies to take these views into account when making decisions at the session on June 3 and 4, 2026."