UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Mary Lawlor on Friday urged authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to ensure the protection and promotion of human rights defenders, after concluding her visit to the country.

In her statement, Lawlor called for authorities to ensure accountability and “tackle negative narratives” against human rights defenders. She emphasized the difficulties faced by people working with transitional justice efforts, rights of the minorities and LGBTI+ activists.

In particular, Lawlor noted that the Law on the Special Registry and Transparency of the Work of Non-profit Organizations in Republika Srpska “may be used to further demonize and undermine civil society organizations that receive foreign funds.” Despite BiH’s constitutional court’s decision to annul the law, Lawlor expressed concern over the decision of the Serb entity’s government to continue drafting a second legislation.

Published by the Ministry of Justice of Republika Srpska in 2024, the draft law mandates all non-profit organizations receiving foreign funds to register at the Ministry and be labelled “agents of foreign influence” if engaged in activities defined as threatening to the state’s integrity.

According to the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law, the draft law violates BiH’s human rights obligations as it undermines freedom of association and expression, fostering suspicion and stigmatization towards human rights defenders and civil society organizations by labelling them “foreign agents” if they have international funding.

The deterioration of respect for human rights and democratic BiH’s federal framework in Republika Srpska has been a longstanding concern of the international community and rights groups. In 2024, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution labeling the 1995 Srebrenica mass killings as genocide. The resolution was met with fierce opposition from the entity’s President Milorad Dodik, who has repeatedly denied the occurrence of genocide and threatened with secession from the union.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s current federal framework was established in December 1995 in what was known as the Dayton Accords. The agreement brought an end to the three-year war between Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs, establishing Bosnia and Herzegovina as a state composed of two entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina with a Bosniak and Croat majority, and Republika Srpska with a Serb majority.