07 Feb Uprising hate speech in Western Balkans

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, express concerns over hate speech uprising in Western Balkans. OHCHR published a Press briefing notes on Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia on 14 January 2022, in which they stated that authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in neighbouring Serbia, must condemn and refrain from any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred.

Recent incidents in both countries which saw individuals glorify atrocity crimes and convicted war criminals, target certain communities with hate speech, and, in some cases, directly incite violence raised these worries. The fear is that such acts – fuelled by continued inflammatory, nationalistic rhetoric and hate speech of some politicians – will increase this year, ahead of elections. 

“As we have repeatedly highlighted, the rise in hate speech, the denial of genocide and other atrocity crimes and the glorification of war criminals in the Western Balkans, highlight the failure to comprehensively address the past,” said Spokesperson Liz Throssell. 

The incidents occurred amid religious holidays, and took place in several locations in Republika Srpska, the Serb-run entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in Brčko in the north, and in the Serbian cities of Priboj and Novi Pazar. They included large groups of people chanting the name of convicted war criminal and former Bosnian Serb military leader, Ratko Mladić, during torchlight processions, or singing nationalistic songs calling for the takeover of various locations in the former Yugoslavia. In one incident, individuals fired shots into the air as they drove past a mosque.  

OHCHR noted that the failure to prevent or sanction them is a major obstacle to trust-building and reconciliation. Serious incidents like these should be investigated promptly, effectively and impartially, to prevent them being repeated and perpetuated, and also to foster the public trust in authorities and institutions, and among communities, that is essential to build social cohesion and peaceful societies.

Ms. Throssell underlined the need for authorities in both countries to abide by their international obligations to ensure the rights to truth, justice, and reparation. 

Furthermore, she recalled that countries party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which include Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, are obliged to ensure that incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence is prohibited in law and in practice. 

References from the website of the United Nations