Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina after Dayton: From Theory to Practice

The main purpose of this work is to provide an assessment of the manifold human rights provisions of the Dayton Peace Agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to explore ways and means of improving the implementation of human rights with the assistance of international organizations, NGOs and national institutions involved in the implementations of human rights. In particular, the main functions of the Human Rights Centre of the University of Sarajevo in the promotion of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by providing documentation, education and research, are discussed. The contributors provide an interpretation of the human rights provisions of the Dayton Agreement and identify the major obstacles to their full implementation, which are partly due to the nature of the constitutional regime provided by the Dayton Agreement itself. Several authors investigate how the principle of ethnicity is in conflict with the basic prerequisites of a modern state and conclude that human rights cannot be made dependent on group rights. The book provides information about the activities of the different international organizations and non-governmental organizations in the field of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, inquires into the reasons for deficiencies, and discusses ways of strengthening the human rights regime of Bosnia and Herzegovina by means of monitoring and more effective enforcement. The major texts of the Dayton Peace Agreement and of the Federation Constitution on Human Rights, together with materials on the Human Rights Centre of the University of Sarajevo and on human rights education at large, are contained in an annex, thus enabling readers to use the publication also as a handbook on the human rights system in Bosnia and Herzegovina.