03/24/2009 OHR

New Pardon Law Creates Conditions to Lift HR Ban on Pardon in FBiH.

Today the Federation Parliament adopted the Law on Pardon. Since 2005 the FBiH executive authorities have been without a possibility to grant pardon for criminal offences as earlier consecutive drafts have tried to give the FBiH President the right to pardon individuals sentenced by the Court on the state level.

The High Representative’s decision of 2005 states that the power to pardon is suspended “until the law on pardon at each particular level of government, which duly respects Bosnia and Herzegovina’s jurisdiction in criminal matters, and which ensures transparency, publicity and public scrutiny over such extraordinary decisions of executive clemency enters into force.”

Once it enters into force, the adopted law creates conditions for lifting the High Representative’s decision.