Initiative for special report on LGBT human rights sent to the Institution of Human Rights Ombudsman of BiH

Human rights organisations have sent an initiative to the Institution of Human Rights Ombudsman of BiH to produce an report on the human rights of LGBT persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sarajevo Open Centre has sent and initiative on the behalf of BH human rights organisations gathered for the common advocacy for the rights od lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender persons to the Institution of Human Rights Ombudsman to produce a special report on the state of the human rights of LGBT persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This initiative came into existence on the basis of recent research done by Sarajevo Open Centre, as a part of monitoring the implementation of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Recommendation on Combating Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity Discrimination, which showed the necessity to revise the existing legislature and other regulations which could or already lead to violations of the human rights of LGBT persons because they are not harmonized with the Anti-discrimination Law.

Aforementioned research clearly showed that the violations of the human rights of LGBT persons in BiH represents a much wider spectrum of individual cases of discrimination or violence, and points to institutional and legislative neglect, disregard of the needs and rights of LGBT persons and the unreadiness of the state institutions to implement the laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Of all the measures given in the Recommendation on Combating Sexual Orientation and gender identity discrimination, BiH only adopted the Anti-discrimination Law, but it never fulfilled any of the legally stipulated obligation to harmonize existing legislature with the Anti-discrimination Law, and to establish a unique registry for the discrimination cases.

Existing discrepancy between adoption of documents for the protection of the human rights and harmonization and adequate implementation of the laws, has motivated human rights organisations to recognize the necessity of Institution of Human Rights Ombudsman to produce a special report on the state of the rights of LGBT persons in BiH in order to present a realistic picture of the current state of respect and protection of the human rights of LGBT persons, whose recommendations would include such cases, and remove percieved omissions to positively influence the respect and protection of the human rights of lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in BiH.

Initiative to the Institution of Human Rights Ombudsman of BiH to produce a special report on the human rights of LGBT persons in BiH was sent by following organisations:

ACIPS, Sarajevo; Association for Democratic Initiative, Sarajevo; BH Novinari (BH Journalists); Budućnost (Future), Modriča; Centre for Civic Cooperation, Livno; Human Rights Centre, University of Sarajevo; Public Interest Advocacy Center, Sarajevo; Civil Rights Defenders, Sarajevo; Open Society Fund BiH, Sarajevo; CURE Foundation, Sarajevo; Foundation One World – Platform for Southeast Europe; Helsinki Committee for Human Rights BiH, Sarajevo; Youth Initiative for Human Rights BiH; Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, Sarajevo; Mediacentar Sarajevo; Oštra nula, Banja Luka; P.E.N. Centre BiH, Sarajevo; Prava za sve (Rights for All), Sarajevo; Sarajevo Open Centre; UNSA Geto, Banja Luka; Zašto ne, Sarajevo and Žene ženama (Women to Women), Sarajevo.