Realization of Freedom of Assembly in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The right to freedom of peaceful assembly is the right to gather publicly or privately and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests. Participation in public assemblies is a political right, the realization of which can give a public voice to those without access to their legislative and executive bodies, or those with little or no opportunity to voice their opinions through the media.

However, due to its highly decentralized regulation, the scope of realization of the constitutionally guaranteed right to peaceful assembly in B&H is rather different in certain parts of the country.
The complexity of the matter is reflected in the fact that, currently, there are ten laws on public assemblies in B&H (for the Republika Srpska, Brčko District of B&H and eight cantons of the Federation of B&H, while in the remaining two cantons such laws are still not in force).

Against this background, this research will identify whether and to what extent the legal framework of freedom of assembly in B&H complies with the international standards in this field. The project aims not only to offer a systematic analysis of the issues found in legal norms, but also to provide key recommendations for the improvement of different material and procedural aspects of freedom of assembly.

Moreover, the project will identify NGOs interested in or working on freedom of assembly and evaluate their capacity to conduct direct advocacy. Ultimatively, for the purpose of their capacity building, guidelines for the monitoring of the realization of the right to freedom of assembly  in B&H will be created.

The realization of this project is supported by the OSCE Mission to BiH. Any view, statement, or opinion expressed in this project, which is not specifically attributed to the OSCE Mission to BiH, does not necessarily reflect the official policy of the OSCE Mission to BiH.