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NEW YORK – The global human rights crisis in 2022 has worsened with the war in Ukraine, the insistence on the “zero covid” policy and the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan, he concludes in a global report published by an international NGO. government organization Human Rights Watch (HRW).
In its 33rd report, HRW monitored the human rights situation in 2022 in 100 countries, including three in the Western Balkans – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia.
According to the report, the human rights situation in the region remains marked by slow prosecutions for war crimes, a poor attitude towards the rights of minorities, women and the LGBT community, and weak media freedom.
In the part of the report on Bosnia and Herzegovina, HRW said that authorities have not prioritized the issue of human rights over the past year. There is discrimination against minorities, which is still present. HRW adds that the processing of war crimes is still slow.
The report highlights the lack of progress on rule of law and electoral reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“After the polls closed on Election Day, October 2, the OHR imposed further electoral changes, provoking widespread criticism, particularly over the calendar. These measures fail to address long-standing political discrimination against Jews, Roma and other minorities who are barred from running for president, despite the modest increase in the number of seats reserved for these minorities in the upper house of the Parliament of the Federation,” HRW said.
The report recalls that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) recorded 91 hate crimes based on ethnic origin or religion between January and June, including four involving physical violence. They added that at the time of writing, 13 hate crime trials were underway and one person had been convicted in 2022.
In the report’s Kosovo portion, HRW said progress was slow on accountability for wartime abuses. It appears that four war crimes are pending before the International Specialized Chambers for Kosovo, based in The Hague, against eight former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK), including the former president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci.
The report recalls that tensions in Kosovo flared after local authorities ordered that ethnic Serbs from the north could not enter Kosovo with Serb-issued IDs or license plates.
“Ethnic Serbs erected barricades near the border in protest, and Kosovo authorities kept border crossings closed until the barricades were removed,” the report said. HRW said journalists continued to face attacks, harassment and threats, with a poor response from the state.
The problem of domestic violence constitutes an example of human rights violations in Kosovo. According to the report, victims face obstacles and do not receive adequate protection. The report highlights the failure of judges to issue restraining orders for abusers to approach victims.
Regarding the human rights situation in Serbia, the report concludes that independent journalists continued to face intimidation, threats and violence. At the same time, war crimes prosecutions have remained slow, ineffective and fraught with delays. The report highlights that the position of the LGBT community remains inadequate.
“Journalists critical of the government continued to face threats and attacks without adequate response from the state. Between January and the end of August, the Association of Independent Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) recorded two physical attacks, three attacks on property and 26 cases of intimidation and threats, including five bomb threats, against journalists and journalists. media,” the report said.
HRW added that pro-government media in Serbia continued their smear campaigns against independent journalists and media outlets for their critical reporting of the government.
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