About us

The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina was founded on 11 February, 1995. The Committee was established following the principles laid down in the Statute of the International Helsinki Federation. It is an independent, non-governmental and non-profit organization. The aim of the Committee is the protection and promotion of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Therefore, the Committee is particularly engaged in the following activities:

• promotion of human rights;
• systematic follow-up of the state of human rights in BiH;
• reacting against violation of human rights;
• providing professional legal assistance to citizens whose rights have been endangered;
• giving suggestions and proposals to legislative bodies in order to make the new and existing laws comply with international standards in the field of human rights;
• publishing of regular and periodical reports and written documents relating to human rights;
• presentation of human rights’ issues through media;
• organizing public debates on human rights’ issues;
• gaining insight into and publishing reports on the position of ethnic and religious minorities, state of prisons, functioning of legislative power and police forces;
• monitoring in the field of information, freedom of expression and freedom of media as well as systematic detection of the language of hatred in the media in BiH;
• promotion of contacts and cooperation with kindred world organizations, particularly with National Helsinki Committees and International Helsinki Federation and involvement of Helsinki Committee in activities relating to protection of human rights outside BiH.

Through organizing the seminars and round-tables, the Committee is trying to make wider known the viewpoints of the international authorities, the UN organizations, OSCE, the Council of Europe, NGOs, - and their respective roles in protection and promotion of human rights. As part of its regular activities, the Committee is making reports on the situation regarding human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In cooperation with legal advisors, the Committee particularly deals with the cases of people who feel that their rights have been endangered and who address the Committee with such claims.

The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in BiH was admitted to membership of the International Helsinki Federation during its regular annual assembly held in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, as of 17 November, 1996.

Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in BiH is one of the winners of the Special Award for Human Rights “Liberté - Egalité - Fraternité ” of the Republic of France for 1996, awarded personally by the President of the Republic of France Jacques Chirac.

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