Transparency International chapter in Bosnia and Herzegovina forced to suspend operations due to safety concerns

Following a meeting with the European Union Police Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Board of Directors of TI BiH, in an emergency meeting, decided to temporarily suspend the chapter’s operations and evacuate the staff from the office. The EUPM pledged to monitor developments, in the absence of any meaningful local police protection.

The ongoing public accusations against the only independent anti-corruption watchdog in the country and the leading NGO combating corruption provides an accurate landscape of Bosnia and Herzegovina today: a very dangerous place for voices of criticism calling for accountability and transparency in the work of the ruling powers. Despite progress made, it is still practically impossible for anti-corruption watchdogs to operate in the country.

TI hopes that the rule of law will prevail and that these accusations will be handled by an independent judiciary in the Republika Srpska in full accordance with principles of due process and impartiality; and we believe firmly that such intimidations, with their implicit threat of legal action, are unacceptable in any country or entity based on democracy and the rule of law.

On Wednesday 09 July, the Principal Deputy High Representative provided evidence to the BiH Chief Prosecutor suggesting that the Republika Srpska executive establishment was planning accusations against TI BiH late in 2007. It took some months until the action was put in motion and today, the staff of TI BiH lives in an extremely uncertain environment.

Source:http://www.transparency.org