OHR Press Releases

The High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, has written to the President of the BiH Federation, Niko Lozancic, requiring Mr Lozancic to provide more information, by close of business on Tuesday 23 August, regarding the Presidential Pardon granted to Miroslav Prce, who was sentenced to five years imprisonment in 2004 for misuse of public funds.

The High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, is this week unveiling steps that will change the structure of the Office of the High Representative so that it is increasingly configured in anticipation of a transition to the Office of the European Union Special Repre

I welcome the appointment of a further 133 civil servants in the Mostar City administration last week. They were reemployed strictly in accordance with the CSL and with the proper involvement of the Civil Service Agency. Therefore Mayor Beslic had every right to go ahead with their appointment.

Sending his condolences to the family of Bojan Prodanovic, the SBS officer who was killed in the incident the High Representative said "we strongly discourage any speculation until the full facts are known". The fatal shooting on Wednesday at the Metaljka border crossing in Eastern Bosnia is now being investigated by the Prosecutor Office and by t [...]

The High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, met yesterday in Sarajevo with Professor Hamid Ghodse, the President of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). Discussion focused on concerns that current legislation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is at the Entity-level only, together with outdated drug control mechanisms, means that Bosnia and [...]

The OHR welcomes the important meeting of government institutions on police restructuring which will take place in Mrakovica tomorrow. It expects senior representatives, with negotiating authority, to attend these talks and to participate constructively in order to advance the process of negotiations on police reform.

The High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, has today written to the President of the BiH Federation, Niko Lozancic, asking Mr Lozancic to clarify media reports that he has granted a pardon to Miroslav Prce, who was sentenced to five years imprisonment in 2004 for misuse of public funds. The High Representative has asked Mr Lozancic, to explain - if th [...]

The High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, has appointed Tore Ingvar Lindseth to a two-year term, effective immediately, as an International Judge to Section I for War Crimes of the Criminal and Appellate Divisions and to Section II for Organised Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the Criminal and Appellate Divisions of the Court of Bosnia and He [...]

The High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, has today written to Member of the BiH Presidency Suleiman Tihic, making clear his concern about recent media statements made by Mr Tihic that appear to be an attempt to exert political influence over appointments of key civil servants in the security structures of BiH.

The High Representative today expressed his concern about the fact that no director has yet been appointed for SBS. As a key institution safeguarding the security of the state, this state of affairs cannot be left unresolved for long, he said.