International Religious Freedom Report, 2013: Bosnia and Herzegovina

摘要

The constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the entity constitutions of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Federation), and the Republika Srpska (RS), and other laws and policies protect religious freedom. In practice, the government generally respected religious freedom, although entity and local governments sometimes did not enforce legal and policy protections for religious freedom, and weak administrative and judicial systems often posed major obstacles to safeguarding the rights of religious minorities. There were reports of societal abuses and discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice. Discrimination against religious minorities occurred in nearly all parts of the country. According to the Inter-religious Council (IRC), a nongovernmental organization (NGO) that mediates among the four traditional religious communities (Muslim, Serbian Orthodox, Catholic, and Jewish), the number of incidents targeting religious symbols, clerics, and property in the three ethnic-majority areas remained relatively low for a second straight year. Some political and religious leaders took positive steps to promote inter-faith dialogue.