Yesterday, the parliamentary majority in Republika Srpska adopted four laws under an urgent procedure, including the so-called “Foreign Agents Law.” In response, BiH CSOs have expressed concern over the law’s implications for their work and fundamental freedoms, as conveyed in the statement below.
The laws adopted by the parliamentary majority represent a revenge attack on all critical voices in Republika Srpska, but above all on citizens’ associations that are not under the control of the government, media and opposition voices. The undersigned civil society organizations point out that through yesterday’s adoption of the so-called “Foreign Agents Law”, as threatened in the last couple of years, the government has created preconditions for a systematic persecution of anyone who thinks differently. Also, the adoption of amendments to the Criminal Code, which seek to force state-level officials, judicial office holders and other employees of BiH institutions to blindly obey the decisions of the ruling majority in the RS, represents a brutal attack on the foundations of democracy in this country. The adoption took place in an atmosphere of lynching and persecution that has been created by government representatives for a long time and culminated in last night’s attack by an advisor to the President of the RS on journalists, which BiH CSOs condemn most strongly.
The Law on the Special Registry and Transparency of the Work of Non-Profit Organizations was adopted under an urgent procedure and with the explanation that the failure to adopt it would “create preconditions for the failure of the constitutional order”, whereby the government has targeted numerous media outlets and organizations that it had previously labeled as “enemies”. The Law was passed as a form of revenge and part of a set of responses to Milorad Dodik’s verdict, thus laying bare all the platitudes that have been put forward so far that the goal of this law is to “increase transparency and prohibit political work by associations”.
BiH CSOs note that the institutions of Republika Srpska can now control the financial and any other operations of civil society organizations. Also, associations are prohibited from political activity under the existing law, but in previous years this apparently did not apply to non-governmental organizations under governmental control which are financed from the budget and have openly supported parties and candidates in the elections.
All organizations that are financed from international sources in Republika Srpska will be affected by this Law and will automatically bear the label of “foreign agents”, even though the government in RS is also financed from the same sources. Likewise, this Law prohibits all associations that have independent funding from proposing laws or “influencing public opinion”, precisely because they point out numerous problems in this society.
This Law lays ground for attacks on any association that does not please the authorities, as it contains various vague provisions and allows for arbitrary interpretations and ultimately leads to shutting down under the pretext of political activity or undermining the constitutional order. Anyone can be attacked, from those fighting for human rights and against corruption to sports organizations, women’s rights associations, unions, consumer protection associations and humanitarian organizations.
This Law will have innumerable consequences for organizations that have been assisting citizens in various ways for many years through social assistance, protection from violence and abuse, humanitarian actions, providing legal aid, etc. BiH CSOs especially emphasize that the amendments to the Criminal Code represent an unacceptable attack on the fundamental values of democracy, with which the ruling majority wants to keep MPs, judges, prosecutors, officials and other employees of the institutions of BiH under control.
These laws violate the constitutions of Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and are not in line with the highest international standards. This will not only lead to the closure or banning of associations and the suppression of critical voices but will also have negative economic consequences through the isolation of RS, delaying further European integration, and the reduction of investments. Therefore, BiH CSOs call on the delegates to the Council of People to halt the adoption of these restrictive laws and appeal to the authorities to refrain from this and other retaliatory actions they are announcing.
The statement in local language is available HERE.
Signatories:
- Banjalučki centar za ljudska prava
- Centar za demokratiju i tranzicionu pravdu, Banja Luka
- Centar za građansku suradnju, Livno
- Centar za mlade KVART Prijedor
- Centar za informativnu dekontaminaciju mladih
- Centar za promociju civilnog društva CPCD
- Centar za razvoj medija i analize CRMA
- Centar za životnu sredinu
- Centri civilnih inicijativa CCI
- Fondacija “Lara”, Bijeljina
- Fondacija “Udružene žene”, Banja Luka
- Fondacija lokalne demokratije
- Helsinški parlament građana Banja Luka
- Humanitarna organizacija „Genesis Project“
- Kuća ljudskih prava Banja Luka
- Omladinska organizacija “Centar” Mrkonjić Grad
- Oštra Nula
- Mreža za izgradnju mira
- Radnička solidarnost
- Restart Srpska
- Rosen Metod Centar BiH
- Transparency International u Bosni i Hercegovini (TI BiH)
- Udruzenje “Novi put”, Mostar
- Udruženje građana “Mikro mreža”, Gradiška
- Udruzenje gradjana “Buducnost”
- Udruženje “IMPULS”
- Udruženje Dignitet
- Udruženje građana eTrafika.net
- Udruženje građana RS “Stop mobbing“
- Udruženje nezavisnih stvaralaca i aktivista GETO
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- Udruženje Umbrella
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- Udruženje za promociju evropskih standarda i unapređenje poslovnog ambijenta Banjaluka
- Udruženje za promociju medijskih sloboda, kritičko i istraživačko novinarstvo (SKIN)/Valterportal
- Udruženje za zaštitu životinja Vardi
- Udruženje žena “Napravi Razliku”
- Udruženje žena Plane Makljenovac
- UG SEMPER – portal Gerila
- Ženska vizija Tuzla
- Zdravo da ste
