During the years 2006 and 2007, the Helsinki committee for Human Rights in Republika Srpska, has established a Court Support Network, aimed to initiate activities on dissemination of information on and promotion of work of Court of BH, in particular on work of it's War Crime Chamber. The Bijeljina Center founded by HCHR in RS consists Court Support Network wich also promotes it's values and ideas.

   Troughout the following two years, 2008 and 2009, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Republika Srpska will continue to maintain already established contacts with organizatrions and associations from Bijeljina and it's surrounding and will constantly work on keeping and improving the cooperation with all other Centers, memebers of Court Support Network, in particular with Center in Prijedor.

   Specific objectives are following: initiating public discourse on the importance of facing the past about committed war crimes, Strengthening the model of cooperation of judical institutiones and citizens, informing inhabitants of identified lokal communities in BH where's war crimes were commited on procedure when it comes to war crimes prosecution; ensuring equal participation of victims reprezentatives in complex process of facing the past on local level, offering media representatives proffesional education on how to report on war crimes trials before domestic courts; maintaining and strengthening already established network of indivduals and organizations in region covered by Bijeljina Center and strengthening and developing of Court Support Network.

   Outreach is crutial for the work of Court of BH. Effective and efficient judicary is possible only if all actors in society support and understand it's work and meaning, trust and interact with judicial system. Court Support Network remains to be one of the most significant and most visible Outreach activities to rebuilt trust among citizens toward judicialn system, to bring the work of the court closer to it's beneficiaries and encourage an enable concrete and direct interaction between an Court and citizens.

   The proposed activities within this project are divided into diferent phases designed for specific tareget groups and beneficiaries which are clearly linked to each other. Proposed activities are as such: awarness raising activities about evants from the past, toward public campaign which comprehends: TV shows, Round tables, in local communities, designing and printing brochures which will give basic informations on internationally recognised mechanisms of transitional justice, need and significance of confrontation with the past through war crimes trials. To awarness raising will contribute visits to the Court of BH. The activities of CSN are also direct work with beneficiaries and stakeholders as such as: establishing contacts between victims and possible withnesses and relevant judical institutions, round tables and training for media reprezentatives. The activities are also the work on the Project sustainability, project reporting and evaluation.

Project: Development of Lokal Policies and Measures for Prevention of Violence at Sport Arenas at Municipalities Bijeljina and Tuzla"

   The Helsinki Commette of Human Rights in Republika Srpska will work in the period of following 18 months on implementing of the project "Development of Local Policies and Measures for Prevention of Violence at Sport Arenas at Municipalities Bijeljina and Tuzla", in cooperation with the support of European Commission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The project's overall objective is promotion of social dialog between civil society organizations and stakeholders, aiming at reconciliation and reduction of social and political separation in country and resolving other common problems.

Specific objectives are: to analyse the causes of violence among the youth at sport arenas, pilot projects - Bijeljina and Tuzla municipalities, to establish dialogue between opposing fun clubs from the pilot municipalities Bijeljiina and Tuzla, to develop the code of conduct for fan clubs, to establish local/action bodies in Bijeljina and Tuzla for purpose of preventing violence in sport arenas, to develop local policies and measures form prevention of violence at sport arenas and to reduce number of incidents that occur before and after the game.

One segment of the project is the research with following target groups: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tuzla Canton, Police Department in Bijeljina, Centers for social wellfare, high-schools from Bijeljina and Tuzla, local civil society organizations and media.

Estimed results of this research are: Report on the "Analysis the causes of violence among youth at the sport arenas, pilot project - Bijeljina and Tuzla municipalities" adopt code of conduct for the fan clubs (agreement on not bringing banners, flags pictures with wording that call for or induce physical fight, national, religious hate and hostility); Establishing of local working groups for preventing violence at sport arenas, Adoption of local action plans for prevention violence at sport arenas and reduction of number of incidents and damages made to facilities before and after the competitions for 30%.

Final beneficiaries are youngsters from municipalities Bijeljina and Tuzla.

This is preliminary appeal for cooperating and its objective is introducing of possible cooperation with basic elements of the project. In process of realizatin of project, HCHR in RS and partners in project will provide concrete proposals in accordance with activities included in cooperation with stakeholders. For more informations please contact us on the following telephone lines: 055/ 210 851 or 065/ 956 046. Contact person is Branimir Jelic, program coordinator.

Sincerely yours,
The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in RS

The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Republika Srpska expresses it's deepest concern and sorrow because of the fire which destroyed the mosque in the settlement Fazlagica Kula near Gacko, yesterday, on Bayram.

We are expecting from the responsible authorities to investigate the reasons for the fire and inform the public about the results of the investigation.

Also, we are expecting from the authorities of RS to take over all needed steps to enable returnees to have a normal life, complete security and realization of all their civil and human rights.

We are supporting the promise given by high ranking politicians of RS that financial means would be urgently secured for the rebuilding of this destroyed mosque and call the responsible institutions to fulfill the given pomise as soon as possible.

Information department
Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in RS

The Helsinki Committee form Human Rights in Republika Srpska organized the conference dealing with the issue "Transitional justice - attitude toward war criminals" on Jun 14, in the hotel Tuzla..... (read more)

Branko Todorovic, Executive director of the Helsinki Committee in Republika Srpska took reently part in the work of a conference on Transitional justice in BH. In the interwiew given in Oslobodjenje, he once again repeated that Transitional justice is one of the most important issues in the context of Human Rights.... (read more)

 

The High Representative and Special representative of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Miroslav Lajčak met with Branko Todorvić , the Executive Director of the Helsinki Committee in Republika Srpska during his visit to Bijeljina.....(more)