High Representative Valentin Inzko met over the weekend with the President of the Court of BiH, Ranko Debevec. They discussed the current state of affairs in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s judiciary and the lack of respect of rule of law in the country.
The BiH Constitution clearly states that BiH shall be a democratic state governed by the rule of law. However, that is hardly the case in reality. “If Bosnia and Herzegovina aims to become a truly democratic and prosperous country, then the rule of law must be dramatically strengthened,” the High Representative stated.
The collocutors agreed that, as a matter of urgency, efforts have to be made to restore the public’s trust in judicial institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. “People want to live in a country where they are protected by law, where laws apply equally to everybody, where no one is above the law. Very often people cite the lack of justice in BiH as one of the main reasons for leaving the country,” the High Representative said, adding that improvements are possible and should be listed as one of the priorities for 2021.
High Representative Inzko and Mr Debevec agreed that citizens of BiH have the right to a professional, efficient, independent and accountable judiciary operating in an environment without undue political pressure.