[ad_1]
The law on special registration and publicity of the work of non-profit organizations in Republika Srpska (RS), publicly known as the “foreign agents” law, was withdrawn during a debate in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska on Tuesday evening.
The legislation provides for special monitoring and the possibility of banning the work of foreign-funded NGOs, prohibitions on political activities, and the need for additional registration and financial reporting.
It defines non-profit organizations as “agents of foreign influence” that help foreign subjects and deal with political actions or political activities that influence public opinion and violate the entity integrity and constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
At the request of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the law on “foreign agents” was revoked, the decision was announced by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice of the Republic of Serbia, Miloš Bukjilović.
No details were given on the reasons for revoking the law.
Despite written appeals from 46 non-governmental organizations to deputies not to vote on the bill, it was included on the agenda at the start of the Serbian parliamentary session on 22 May.
On the same day, a program entitled “The Death of Democracy” was held, in which representatives of non-governmental organizations sought to highlight the damage that the passage of the draft law would cause to “foreign agents”.
In a letter dated May 20, the OSCE delegation also warned that the law on “foreign agents” violates the constitutions of the Republic of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and is inconsistent with the country’s international obligations to respect human rights.
At a meeting on May 23, the Serbian government considered a “proposal proposal” on the “foreign agents” law, but no details were provided after the meeting.
The law was proposed in 2022 by Milorad Dodik, the pro-Russian president of Republika Srpska and leader of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), which has been sanctioned by the United States and Britain for unconstitutional behavior.
The draft law was approved by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska on September 28 last year, but it was met with a series of criticisms from the public, non-governmental sectors and international organizations.
Research by Radio Free Europe found similarities between the law and a 2012 Russian law targeting foreign agents.
The U.S. Embassy previously told Radio Free Europe that the law was “repressive and undemocratic” and, if implemented, would severely infringe on the rights and freedoms of people living in Republika Srpska.
The Office of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (OHR) has called for the withdrawal of this draft law from the agenda of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska because, as the Office of the High Representative put it, the law itself “is aimed at suppressing and intimidating civilians and social organizations”./REL
[ad_2]
Source link
