TI BiH at a Protest Against the “Law on Foreign Agents”

Transparency International BiH, together with representatives of the non-governmental sector and citizens, participated in a gathering at Trg Krajina in Banja Luka to express concern and dissatisfaction with the adoption of the Draft Law on the Special Register and Publicity of the Work of Non-Profit Organizations, better known as the “Law on Foreign Agents”.

This law, which was adopted by the Assembly of the Republic of Srpska on September 28, represents a serious threat to civil liberties and the work of non-governmental organizations. The RS Ministry of Internal Affairs, without explanation, banned the protest march planned for today.

Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina points out in its analysis that the proposed law is not in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights and Freedoms, the state and entity constitutions and the current laws in the Republic of Srpska. The law has the potential to create additional pressure on freedom of speech and to serve as an introduction to open censorship and a reason to ban the work of independent organizations and free media.

Although the President of the Republic of Srpska, Milorad Dodik, claimed that the Draft Law is based on American legal solutions, research of Radio Free Europe shows that the Draft is more similar to the law adopted in Russia in 2012.

The Embassy of the United States in Bosnia and Herzegovina denied President Dodik’s claims, emphasizing that the adopted document was modeled on “repressive Russian legislation”.

Transparency International BiH calls on all citizens, organizations and international partners to join in the fight against this law that threatens fundamental civil liberties and rights. Our mission is to protect transparency, integrity and democratic values, and we will continue to fight against all attempts that threaten these principles.