Human Rights House Foundation statement
HRC61 – Item 3 – Interactive Dialogue – Human rights defenders (BiH)
3 March 2026
Thematic report (international support system for HRDs); Country report (BiH)
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Thank you.
Human Rights House Foundation thanks the Special Rapporteur for her reports and, as this is the final dialogue of her mandate, thanks her for her consistent and principled engagement with civil society, including HRHF.
Vice-President.
The Special Rapporteur’s report on Bosnia and Herzegovina captures the resilience of defenders and the risks they face across the country.
We are concerned by the chilling effect of restrictive legislation in Republika Srpska, including the recriminalisation of defamation. We are also concerned by public narratives that stigmatise defenders and normalise hostility; and by the use of SLAPPs.
We urge authorities at all levels to implement the Special Rapporteur’s recommendations, including repealing criminal defamation provisions, preventing SLAPPs, strengthening protection for journalists and defenders, and ensuring prompt, impartial investigations into threats and violence.
We also encourage the Council of Ministers to address its state-level strategy by making an enabling environment for civil society a central objective, and to establish a formal civil society advisory body to support meaningful implementation.
Vice-President.
We ask the Special Rapporteur: what should Bosnia and Herzegovina do to make protection measures for defenders trusted and effective, so threats are reported and acted upon?
Thank you.
