INTERVIEW: VESNA SEHIC,

lawyer, President of the Human Rights Committee of Bosnia & Herzegovina

AIM Tuzla, April 1, 1996

Ms. Vesna Sehic, a lawyer from Tuzla, is an interesting interlocutor for many reasons, primarily, as the President of the of the Human Rights Committee of Bosnia & Herzegovina, the first institution of the kind in the country which gathers most eminent lawyers, intellectuals and fighters for human rights. Ms. Sehic is also one of the four founders of the Citizens' Forum of Tuzla, pioneers of civic-society initiative in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Sharply intoned texts and public statements of Vesna Sehic in the period 1992-1993, at the time when Muslim nationalism was expanding, are evidence that it was not all that easy for Tuzla to remain what it stands for - a city of inter-ethnic tolerance.

AIM: Do you have problems in Tuzla because of your sharp tongue and the post that you hold, either with the authorities or with ordinary people?

SEHIC: Apart from derogatory and humiliating accusations in nationalistic press, there have been no notable problems. Indeed, it is not pleasant to live with the awareness that, just because you advocate a multiethnic civic society, someone can call you an enemy, and that there is noone to protect you. You refer to the official civic proclamations of the state administration, but you become a victim of political underground which says one thing but does exactly the opposite. Fortunately, at such moments I knew that there is another Bosnia - democratic and humanist, which in various ways gave me the force to speak out even louder, to articulate its demands first in the Citizens' Forum of Tuzla, and later in the Human Rights Committee of B&H. From today's aspect, I am not angry with the people, mostly politicians, who are nowadays full of praise for civic-society oriented Tuzla, but who, at the time of nationalistic frenzy in '92 and '93, either did not dare speak out or participated in it. People simply cannot all equally endure the burden of difficult times and different challenges. The important thing is that Tuzla has remained Bosnia.

AIM: What is the attitude to your work of the ruling structure in the municipality and the canton?

SEHIC: Noone feels quite at ease if constantly criticized, especially if that someone has grown used to being inviolable, impeccable because of the war and absence of democratic critical criteria. However, although we constantly sharply criticize, although we keep prying into conscience of cantonal and municipal authorities, we always stress that Tuzla and the region around it can be a model to all the other places in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Human rights were objectively violated the least over here. Possibly because since 1993, when in February we founded the Citizens' Forum of Tuzla, human rights have been closely watched. Everything that happened in the sense of violation of human and civil rights was sharply criticized. Possible violaters knew that they could not pass unnoticed.

AIM: Generally speaking, various "safari excursions" which are visiting Tuzla from all over the world, are somewhat annoying, because most of them are coming unprepared and act in a stereotype manner, looking upon us as an African tribe. What is your experience with and relation to these "tourists"?

SEHIC: At the founding assembly of the Committee, we said that we were resolutely against numerous individuals and organizations which make money on the tragedy of the Bosnian people. Many have made enormous money by selling us coloured stories about humanism and democracy. Unfortunately, they are still doing it. That is why we founded the Human Rights Committee of B&H to show that we have exceptional experts in the field and that noone can protect human rights in B&H better than we can. Because, we have no choice, we live here, in a democratic and human society, and what we are doing is out of pressing, fundamental need. We are not here to make money and take to our heels back where we have come from. We are here and for that reason cannot fool anyone, because we would be fooling ourselves, our children, our future. Ours is an instinctive, and not a profit-making, struggle for human Bosnia.

AIM: Unfortunately, financial aid for the work of your Committee often depends on such people. How do you cope with it?

SEHIC: With great difficulties. Everything we have done and everything we do was on a voluntary basis. We have spent hours working with persons whose rights were jeopardized. We wrote petitions, appeals for them free of charge, rendered lawyer's services for free. We wished to help the unfortunate people. However, there simply are jobs which cannot get done without financial assistance. Things like educational seminars, programs, printing educational material, etc. We have plenty of new and original ideas, but it is impossible to effectuate them without money. Sellers of coloured stories are in a much better position, because they know who to turn to, they communicate with European donors. And those who donate money, often do it just for the sake of easing their conscience. So they don't care who will get it and what effects such donations will have.

AIM: Elections are coming. Draft election rules has been prepared. What do you thing about them? Do they favour anyone? Do you think that there will be time until the elections to build an atmosphere convenient for democratic elections?

SEHIC: Political and legal experts of the Human Rights Committee of B&H are just working on a survey which will be a specific critical review of the draft made by the temporary OSCE election committee. The stress will, of course, be on all aspects of violations of human rights which may result if these provisions will be adopted. Our general opinion is quite negative. The very fact that in the entities there will be ethnic minorities, second-rate citizens, without a right to be elected into the authorities, speak for themselves about the offered draft.

AIM: What are your assessments of election results? Do you really believe in regularity of the elections?

SEHIC: Such a draft election law on the whole favours national parties, which means that it advocates the concept of division of B&H on ethnic grounds, which again implies creation of second-rate citizens. The question is - what do sponsors of the Dayton Agreement actually want? Much points to the fact that they want just the opposite from what has been proclaimed, and that is reintegration of B&H. If things should remain as they are now, next elections will be won by - the Party of European Shame!

AIM: To what extent do different positive republican laws collide with human rights and how much do they jeopardize them?

SEHIC: The Dayton Agreement and the Constitution of the Federation include obligations of ensuring the highest standards of internationally recognized human rights and freedoms. However, a series of republican regulations was adopted, e.g. the Law on Abandoned Apartments, the Law on Taking Possession of Resources by the Republic of B&H, which are contrary to the mentioned agreement and the Constitution of the Federation and which flagrantly violate the right to return of displaced persons and refugees, the right of equality of the citizens in state agencies, inviolability of private property and property rights. The state agencies of B&H have not manifested the expected and proclaimed readiness to safeguard and enable its citizens to exercise their rights and freedoms. In fact, they are most frequent violaters of human rights and freedoms.

AIM: What is at the moment the situation with protection of human rights in B&H, that is, in Tuzal?

SEHIC: Human Rights Committee of B&H has established that minority groups on the entire territory of RB&H are threatened the most by denial of their fundamental human rights and freedoms. Human rights and freedoms are violated everywhere, in some places more in some less, but mostly by denial the right to life, assaults on all types of property, violation of the right to home, right to legal equality, etc. In Tuzla where in relation to other parts of B&H human rights are violated the least, the population which is threatened the most is the Serb minority. In this environment, the right to return of refugees to their homes remained mostly in the sphere of proclamations, as well as protection of property of this category of the population. Explanation of the authorities is - absence of regulations, and responsibility for adoption of regulations is laid at the door of other, higher authorities. Violation of human rights and freedoms in Tuzla is often caused by the war and lack of financial resources, but often, the war is used by the authorities just as a pretext for systematic violations of human rights.

AIM: Do you believe in the future of Bosnia?

SEHIC: If I had not believed in the future of Bosnia I would not have remained here, I would not have fought for Bosnia by measure of all its citizens. I do believe, because history of Bosnia is full of falls and dark times, corners which seemed to be blind. But, they were just exceptions, and the rule is Bosnia itself. It was always there and will be again.

KONSTANTIN JOVANOVIC