PRESS RELEASE

The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina is expressing embitterment and protest against the current behaviour of the authorities with regard to the freedom of movement of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Due to incomprehensibly bad planning of the relevant ministry, the citizens are unable to obtain passports in this moment and travel abroad. This will continue until the end of July, when a shipment of 150,000 passports is expected to arrive. This is a harsh violation of the European Convention on Human Rights and one of the fundamental rights – the freedom of movement. No excuse is acceptable for such a failure, especially because of the fact that July has always been the time when most citizens went on vacations.

The Helsinki Committee is at the same time requesting responsibility of those who announced the decision of 4 July that underage citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina could cross the state border to Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro with birth certificates and student books until 30 September of this year, which created misconception of a great number of citizens and exposed them to inconveniences and expenses.

Finally, the Helsinki Committee is urging the relevant institutions to invest additional efforts and resolve the problem of provision of passports in a responsible manner as soon as possible.

Srđan Dizdarević
President of the Helsinki Committee
For Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina

No.: 07-07/2005
Sarajevo, 11 July 2005