LGBTI Equal Rights Association for Western Balkans and Turkey

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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CALLS ON BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA TO DEVELOP AN ANTI-DISCRIMINATION STRATEGY

24 Apr

On April 14th 2016 the European Parliament published its resolution on the 2015 Progress Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). In the document the Parliament urges BiH to include a clear definition of gender identity and sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination law and to implement awareness raising-actions on the rights of LGBTI people among the judiciary, law enforcement agencies and the general public.
While the Parliament welcomes the first more positive report of the European Commission on BiH and reiterates its unequivocal commitment to BiHs European Perspective it recommends substantial improvements of the legal and institutional framework for observance of human rights, calls for an effective implementation of anti-discrimination legislation including a strengthened role of the Human Rights Ombudsman while it expresses concern over hate violence, hate speech and the reported increase in threats towards LGBTI persons.  
Moreover the Parliament expresses concern that BiH is the only territory in the Western Balkans where the sanctioning of hate crime is not regulated by criminal law, urges the inclusion of such a provision and calls for the inclusion of a hate speech provision in the criminal laws of all entities. The Parliament also expresses concerns about the insufficient mechanisms for cooperation between government and civil society organizations, calls for creation and implementation of transparent and inclusive public consultation mechanisms, calls for adoption of a national strategy on CSO’s, calls on CSO’s and activists to significantly strengthen their capacities and structures and to engage with authorities in BiH.

Country - Bosnia and Herzegovina