Summary

The Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Fabián Salvioli, presents his report on his visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2 to 10 December 2021, in which he assesses the measures adopted by the Government to address the serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed during the 1991–1995 armed conflict.

In the report, he notes the efforts made after the conflict, with sustained support from the international community, to address past abuses, in particular with regard to the search for missing persons, the criminal prosecution of war criminals, and institutional reforms. Conversely, he stresses the manifest insufficiency and inadequacy of reparation measures and the long-standing harm they inflict on victims. Furthermore, he underscores the inadequacy of memorialization processes and history teaching, and of measures aimed at promoting inter-ethnic understanding, combating discrimination and curbing incendiary nationalisms, while warning about the tangible risks that these deficiencies pose to peace in the country.

He concludes the report with recommendations addressed to the Government and the international community.