The Human Rights House Banja Luka warns the public that on the agenda of the 11th regular session of the National Assembly, scheduled for October 29, 2024, will be disputed changes to two legal acts, which eventual adoption would represent a step backwards in the protection of human rights and democracy, and we consider them unacceptable. It is about the Draft Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Srpska and the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on the Protection of Persons Reporting Corruption in the Republic of Srpska.
The proposed amendments to the Criminal Code, which remove the term “gender identity” from the list of explicitly protected characteristics, represent a serious blow to the legal protection of vulnerable groups.
Removing gender identity from the Criminal Code reduces the scope of legal protection, opens the possibility for discrimination and reduces the chances of adequately sanctioning hate crimes against people of different gender identity.
The fact that the proposed changes are contrary to the international obligations assumed by Bosnia and Herzegovina is not nearly as important as the negative impact on the society of Republic of Srpska that the regressive legal solutions aim to produce.
The proposed changes to the Law on the Protection of Persons Reporting Corruption in the Republic of Srpska, and the highly indicative fact that the law is being considered on an urgent basis without clear justification, represent a serious threat to the democratic process and transparency.
With these changes, it is visible that the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska will no longer have access to the annual reports on the protection of corruption whistleblowers. This weakens the supervisory role that the National Assembly has over the work of the government and other public bodies of the republic’s administration, which can lead to the unlimited power of the executive branch of government and additionally justify the distrust of the public in the fight against corruption.
The Human Rights House Banja Luka calls on the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska to withdraw from the agenda the proposed changes to the Law on the Protection of Persons Reporting Corruption and the Criminal Code of the Republic of Srpska and to ensure that future changes to the law are aligned with the principles of transparency and accountability, and the protection and promotion of human rights.
The Human Rights House Banja Luka will continue to monitor the situation, call for responsibility and insist on the protection of human rights and democratic principles.
Attached to this announcement is a link with the text containing earlier comments submitted by the Human Rights House on the draft amendments to the Criminal Code of the RS with explanations.
Also, we are attaching a more detailed Reaction (comments) of the Human Rights House Banja Luka to the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on the Protection of Persons Reporting Corruption in the RS:
Reakcija KLJP -izmjene Zakona o zaštiti lica koja prijavlju korupcijuDownload
