With support of the Heinrich Böll Foundation – Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina organized a series of public debates in the year 2007 on the topic “Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina between individual and collective human rights”. The debates were held in Foca, Bugojno, Livno, Doboj and Sarajevo, and they were attended by representatives of non-governmental organizations, legislative and executive government, and media. The participants of these public debates have adopted the following

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1.     Democratic debate on constitution change with participation of the widest circle of civil society actors, including representatives of non-governmental organizations, scientific institutions and citizens is supported. We particularly advocate discussions within assemblies and other institutions of the system with full respect for the principles of publicity and transparency of work;

2.     The debate should aim at achieving harmonization of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the European Convention on Human Rights and Freedoms and other relevant international standards in the field of human rights;

3.     Adoption of changes with the aim of affirmation of citizens – individuals and their individuals human rights is recommended. An assumption for this is consistent respect for ethnic equality and equality of citizens on the whole territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina;

4.     It is necessary to change provisions of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina depriving any citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina of the passive voting rights regardless of the place of residence. It is also necessary to change provisions reserving posts of speakers and their deputies in the Bosnian Parliamentary Assembly houses exclusively for members of the three constituent peoples;

5.     It is necessary to insert changes in the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina that would guarantee rights of members of national minorities and those citizens that are not members of either constituent peoples or national minorities.

No: 07-12/2007
Sarajevo, 10 December 2007