STATE DEPARTNMENT SAYS HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD IN BOSNIA REMAINS POOR

WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Hina) - The human rights record in Bosnia-Herzegovina remains poor, the U.S. Department of State said in its annual report on the state of human rights in over 190 countries in 2003.#L# The political leadership at all levels, in varying degrees, but more frequently in the Republika Srpska (Bosnian Serb entity) than in the Federation, continued to obstruct minority returns in certain localities. the report reads. "Severe discrimination against ethnic minorities continued in areas dominated by Serb and Croat ethnic groups, with some discrimination in Bosniak-majority areas, particularly regarding the treatment of refugees and displaced persons," the report says. Both entity governments and private groups continued to restrict religious practice by minorities in majority areas; religious discrimination remained a problem, the State Department said. While police sometimes failed to ensure security for refugees returning to areas in which they were an ethnic minority, incremental improvement and responsiveness were noted. The report also says that although there were some restrictions on freedom of movement, it continued to improve. Commenting on the country's cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal at the Hague, the report says that although the Bosnian Serb entity's National Assembly passed a law on cooperation with the ICTY in 2001, the entity made no effort to arrest indictees, while the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina cooperated with the tribunal in general. "The judiciary in both entities remained subject to influence by dominant political parties and by the executive branch; the administration of justice was sporadic and vulnerable to manipulation. Even when independent decisions were rendered, local authorities often refused to carry them out," the report says. The report says that pressure and harassment of media by authorities and dominant political parties continued. (Hina) it sb