Bosnian Serbs withdraw proposed ‘foreign agent’ law

3 months ago 18

The Bosnian Serb government late Tuesday (28 May) withdrew a controversial draft law aimed at creating a register of non-profit groups getting international funding to designate them as foreign agents, officials said.

The draft legislation has been criticised by the European Union as a tool to intimidate non-governmental organisations, while critics say it would further stifle the freedoms of government opponents.

The bill was originally on the Bosnian Serb assembly’s agenda but vice prime minister Milos Bukejlovic informed lawmakers that the government has withdrawn the law from the parliamentary procedure, RTRS public television reported.

He did not elaborate on the reasons for the move.

The draft law was one in a series of political moves engineered by pro-Russian Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, who has long campaigned for secession from Bosnia.

Dodik said that some objections to the law related to “European norms”.

“Since the Republika Srpska is committed to the European path, we agreed to withdraw it (the bill) and additionally harmonise it with the laws that some European countries have and… bring it in line with European legal practise,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.

Since the 1992-1995 war, Bosnia has consisted of two semi-autonomous entities — the Serb-run Republika Srpska (RS) and the Muslim-Croat Federation. The two are linked by weak central institutions while each has its own government and parliament.

Dodik said the bill — which was originally backed by the deputies in September last year — will be returned to the parliamentary procedure in due course.

Earlier this month, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) urged Bosnian Serb authorities not to proceed with the adoption of the bill.

It “undermines the freedom of association, which is crucial for the functioning of diverse and inclusive civil society organisations, independent media and human rights defenders”, a statement by the OSCE mission to Bosnia said.

The opposition has said the law would further stifle the freedoms of those who express opinions contrary to the will of the authorities.

The bill came after Bosnian Serbs deputies passed several controversial laws in July — notably refusing the decisions made by Bosnia’s top international envoy and the constitutional court.

(Edited by Georgi Gotev)