BiH MUST OPPOSE ABUSES - STRONG MESSAGE FROM STRASBOURG

EAST SARAJEVO, JUNE 27 /SRNA/ – Legal expert Ognjen Tadić told SRNA that the European Court of Human Rights, by ruling that Slaven Kovačević was not a victim of discrimination, has sent a strong message that BiH must stand up against abuses by various opportunists who exploit this issue for personal gain and political promotion.

"Such individuals have no concern for the damage they cause to BiH, to peace, and to interethnic relations," said Tadić. He emphasized that the new ruling by the European Court of Human Rights will certainly not end the debates surrounding the Dayton Peace Agreement and the electoral system that can be built upon it, but it does represent a strong signal from Strasbourg that BiH must oppose such abuses. The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg overturned the initial judgment in the case of Slaven Kovačević v. BiH, concluding that his human rights were not violated. In 2023, the Court had ruled that Kovačević was discriminated against because, as a resident of the Federation of BiH, he could not vote for the Serb Presidency member and faced ethnic and territorial restrictions when electing deputies to the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly. BiH, through its legal agent, appealed the decision, arguing that the ruling deeply interfered with the Constitution of BiH and, if implemented, would alter the country's two-entity structure.