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Weekly Human Rights Update
14-20 July 1997
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PROTECTION OF MINORITIES
Posavina Officials Discuss Housing Solutions
On 10 July, Posavina
Canton authorities, OHR, UNHCR, OSCE, and UN IPTF met to discuss housing
problems in the Canton following reports of moves by the authorities to
evict Bosniak displaced persons currently living in Orasje (Fed). At
the meeting, Cantonal authorities pledged not to evict people without
first providing them with alternative accommodation. UNHCR will also
help find solutions to the housing problem in the Canton. OHR informed
Canton officials that draft Posavina Canton housing legislation on the
use of abandoned property may deprive many individuals of their housing
and property rights. OHR is working with the authorities of both
Entities on amendments to their property laws.
RIGHT TO RETURN
Serb Returns to Drvar Progressing
As of last week, approximately 50
Serb displaced "heads of households" had registered with the authorities
in Drvar (Fed) as a part of an UNHCR programme for returns to the
municipality. A number of Serb families have started to stay overnight
to conduct repairs to their houses, and freedom of movement has
reportedly improved. Though the majority of these potential returnees
have not experienced any problems, on 2 July, two Serb returnees were
arrested in the village of Bastasi after they were involved in a fight
with a Croat man who assaulted one of them and threatened them both with
a rifle. One of the Serb men was released the next day, and the other
was sentenced to 20 days in Mostar prison for disturbing peace and
public order for hitting the Croat man's car with a pitchfork. On 6
July, OSCE and OHR representatives met with the Cantonal President about
possible irregularities in the trial. International officials have also
raised their concern that two Croats involved in the incident and who
were reportedly charged with assault were released the same day.
Stolac Returns Delayed Again
International human rights monitors
reported that returns of Bosniaks participating in the Stolac (Fed)
pilot project temporarily stopped last week following the local
authorities' refusal to allow a number of families to return because of
questions about their rights to the properties. UNHCR plans to meet
with the Mayor of Stolac this week to get the project back on track.
Sixteen Bosniak families have been able to return to Stolac since the
re-activation of the project on 23 June, which aims for the return of 32
of 68 families by the end of June. Implementation of the project has
been blocked by the Stolac authorities since last year.
Prospects for Return to Konjic Discussed
On 14 July, human rights
monitors met with the Mayor of Konjic (Fed) to discuss minority returns
there in view of the municipality's recognition as an UNHCR "Open City"
on 1 July. The Mayor stressed that Konjic embraces the "Open Cities"
concept, but will face housing shortages when the refugees return. He
also said that Konjic will encourage citizens' involvement in the
protection of minority rights by establishing a "community watch" system
for minority returnees. Monitors note that while the Konjic authorities
seem genuinely committed to allowing minority returns, recent returnees
are experiencing difficulties in regaining access to private property
that is currently occupied. The UNHCR "Open Cities" initiative aims to
encourage cities and municipalities where reconciliation between ethnic
communities is possible to publicly declare their willingness to allow
minority groups to return to their homes. Where such willingness has
been demonstrated by actual returns, the community will be supported
with international assistance. The U.S. government has allocated $5
million for "Open City" support projects that will benefit some 10
municipalities. Konjic, Busovaca and Vogosca have been recognised as
"Open Cities" and UNHCR and its partners are currently assessing the
potential of a number of other municipalities, including 25 that have
been put forth by the Federation authorities, Kresovo municipality
(proposed by BiH Presidency member Zubak) and two RS municipalities.
INSTITUTIONAL AND POLICY DEVELOPMENTS
Journalists Meet in Bihac OSCE brought together more than 50
journalists from throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina for an inter-entity
journalists conference in Bihac on 11-12 July. Participants discussed
media coverage of minority issues and the non-governmental organization
"Search for Common Ground" conducted a workshop on conflict resolution.
OSCE reports that the conflict resolution workshop and a workshop on
writing grant proposals were particularly popular among the
participants. The next in the series of inter-entity journalists
conferences will be held just prior to the municipal elections.
Media and Human Rights Conference Held
Media Plan has published its
report from the seminar on media and human rights that it organized in
Banja Luka on 20-21 June, which was attended by a large number of
participants from both entities. The seminar, organized by Media Plan's
Sarajevo and Banja Luka offices, was sponsored by the Council of Europe.
On the first day, international and Bosnian experts lectured about
media rights and freedoms in the country. In a workshop held the
following day, participants discussed a paper analyzing the media
situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with special reference to human
rights and media. Participants also discussed the recent confiscation
of Polikita from newsstands in Sarajevo and exchanged views about
legislation regulating the media in both entities.
MEC Chief Addresses Sarajevo and Doboj Police
On 2 July, OSCE members
of the Media Experts Commission (MEC) gave a talk on media rights and on
the Provisional Election Commission (PEC) Rules and Regulations to a
group of senior police and ministry officials at the Sarajevo Canton
Ministry of the Interior, as the final step in closing the MEC case on
the confiscation of the satirical magazine Polikita from newsstands in
Sarajevo last month. All copies of the paper have since been returned
to the vendors. At the meeting, the Cantonal Deputy Interior Minister
instructed police and ministry officials to cooperate with the OSCE by
observing the PEC Rules and Regulations regarding media freedoms. On 3
July, the MEC Chairman gave a similar presentation to the Doboj Deputy
Chief of Police and his staff in connection the detention of a Danish
television team last month. At this meeting, Doboj officials noted that
they had not received instructions from the RS Ministry of Interior on
the rights of journalists to travel to RS without "RS visas." Doboj
officials also said that they would ask the Ministry to what extent they
should obey PEC Rules and Regulations when they contradict RS laws.
OSCE will clarify this issue with the RS Ministry of Interior, as PEC
Rules and Regulations, drawn from Annex 3 of the Peace Agreement,
clearly predominate in this case.
NOTE: The HR Report is based on the most recent information available to the OHR from inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations. Questions on specific items should be directed to the reporting organisation or to the HRCC. Please send information for inclusion in the report to 387-71-447-420, attention Leah Melnick (leah.melnick@ohr.int), Kristina Koch (kristina.koch@ohr.int), or Vladimir Stanisic(vladimir.stanisic@ohr.int).
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