Respect for human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina lowest in Western Balkans, opinion poll finds

Perceived respect for human rights is far lower in Bosnia and Herzegovina than in any other Western Balkan state, according to a recent poll conducted by Civil Rights Defenders. In a public opinion poll assessing the extent to which issues related to human rights, media freedoms, equality and the rule of law are respected in each of the region’s countries, citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina offered the most concerning assessment on several key accounts.

Graphics highlighting key findings and research methodology are available here.

Main findings

• Around one in ten Bosnia and Herzegovina citizens believe that human rights are fully respected, which is significantly lower than the Western Balkan average.

• 74% of citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina believe that discrimination is widespread, which is significantly higher than in any other Western Balkan state (Kosovo 63%, North Macedonia 60%).

• Barely one in four citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina believe that the rule of law is respected in the country.

• Post-war generations in Bosnia and Herzegovina believe that ethnicity and religion have a much greater impact on inequality than older citizens.

• Fewer than one in ten Bosnia and Herzegovina citizens believe that media freedoms are respected in the country, a figure significantly lower than that of any other Western Balkan state.

• Perceptions regarding respect for media freedoms and the right to peaceful assembly are slightly lower in Republika Srpska than in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Our Program Officer for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ena Bacvic, commented: “For those working on human rights issues in the country, we initially expect the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina to have a relatively negative view of issues such as respect for the rule of law, but to see such deeply depressive responses, by far the worst compared even to the Western Balkan average, is nothing short of alarming. Moreover, as the country’s politicians continue to squabble over national identities and borders, this survey provides a very clear picture of how citizens view their collective governance.”

These public opinion polls were conducted as part of region-wide research conducted by Civil Rights Defenders, in collaboration with IPSOS Strategic Marketing, with a representative sample of more than 6,000 respondents.