In 1996 basic freedom was restricted in the Republics. There was no freedom of movement for example. The country was completely split up and divided, even in such areas as currency and number plates. There also were no phone-connections between the different parts.
At the end of the war, half of the population (2 out of 4 millions) were refugees or Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), who wanted to go back to their homes. To make that possible, there was a need to restore Human Rights, but also to create stability. The Dayton agreement had both good and bad aspects, being ambiguous and open to different interpretations. The agreement was also ambitious, as several high standard are applicable. But it also had to be implemented. The UNHCR gave a large contribution to make the return of refugees possible, from 1998 onwards. That marked the start of the development, including establishment of freedom of movement. In the beginning there was still obstruction by the authorities, but there was a clear poltical agenda of return of refugees, they should have free choice. First they were only tolerated, at best, not really encouraged to do so. Several officials were dismissed for obstructing the return. The focus was (too much) on the hard aspects of return, such as housing, and not on the soft aspects (jobs, education, etc.) which should have made the return sustainable. Apart from the local powers, also the international can be blamed for this failure. The returned refugees were not fully accepted, so there was a big need to reintegrate the community. The new states were a bit discriminatory, not all groups were well represented in legislative bodies.'
Right now still a lot has to be done in different fields. The republics face the challenge of the transition to a market economy, for example. Next to that, the juridical system still depends too much on the party in power. This becomes clear with the situation of the Roma in BiH, who were never linked to any political party. But now they are slowly getting recognized as minority, and are encouraged to participate.
Remark: Also the SFOR had part in the violation of Human Rights. There is the case of a priest being beaten up by them, in their search for Karadzic.
Minutes taken by Stef Jansen
This is a contribution to the EU & Western Balkans conference, which took place in Sarajevo, 9-13 November 2004. © 2004 AEGEE Sarajevo and the IPWG.