Second class citizens : discrimination against Roma, Jews, and other national minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina / [Amanda McRae].

[New York, N.Y.] : Human Rights Watch, [2012]

©2012

JN2203.A38 M5 2012

Bos 908.5 M46 2012

1564328783
9781564328786

Text in English; summary and recommendations also available in Bosnian.

62 pages : illustrations, map ; 27 cm

(OCoLC)793018346

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Roma, Jews and other national minorities are prohibited from participating in the highest levels of national government, and in local government and public institutions that provide important basic services. Much of this discrimination stems from Bosnia's Constitution. Written in 1995 as part of an agreement to end wars in the region, it has created a system of government based on ethnicity that excludes national minorities by granting only people from Bosnia's three main ethnic groups--Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs--the chance to serve in senior national political offices and to veto legislation that contravenes their interests. In December 2009, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Bosnia's Constitution discriminated against Roma and Jews in violation of human rights law. But more than two years after the court's decision, Bosnia has yet to reform the constitution or end discrimination in the political system. The direct discrimination that minorities experience in Bosnia's political structure reinforces the indirect discrimination that Roma in particular often face accessing services like housing, health care, and education. Very few Roma work in local government agencies that provide these services, and repeated commitments by Bosnian authorities to improve the lives of Roma have proved largely empty. Second Class Citizens highlights persistent ethnic discrimination against Roma, Jews and other national minorities in politics and its impact on the daily lives of Roma in particular. It calls on Bosnia to immediately amend its constitution to remove ethnic discrimination in politics and take positive steps to end all discrimination against national minorities. It also recommends that the United States and European Union, which helped write the 1995 constitution, play an active role in ensuring its timely amendment.--P. [4] of cover.

"This report was researched and written by Amanda McRae, consultant with Human Rights Watch"--P. 62.

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Discrimination against Roma, Jews, and other national minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina