Amendments to the Criminal Codes of Republika Srpska and the Brcko District were adopted and entered into force on 7 August and 30 June, respectively. The amendments include a substantive definition of a hate crime that includes protected characteristics such as religion, nationality, language and sexual orientation. Based on that definition, bias motivation can be considered as an aggravating circumstance during sentencing for any criminal offence. Additionally, the amendments include specific penalty enhancements based on bias motivation for the specific offences of murder, physical assault, rape, theft, robbery, malicious mischief and causing public danger.
Official figures record 15 hate crimes. Bosnia and Herzegovina also reported one physical assault motivated by bias against the ethnicity of the victim.
Official figures record the desecration of three graves at an Orthodox Christian cemetery.
Q reported one physical assault against a transgender person.
The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina reported a shooting in front of the house of a Bosniak returnee, 12 physical assaults, of which one involved serious bodily injury, one threat, two cases of damage to property, one incident of attempted breaking and entering, and 18 cases of graffiti on property.
IOM reported that hate incidents targeting refugees occurred during cross-border movement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.
The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina reported one physical assault and one burglary motivated by bias against Roma and Sinti.
The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina reported two cases of anti-Semitic graffiti.
The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina reported four cases of damage to mosques and the desecration of one cemetery.
The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina reported one case in which an Orthodox Christian parish priest was threatened, one case of damage to an Orthodox Christian church, the desecration of three Catholic cemeteries, one case of anti-Christian graffiti on a private residence, and one case of graffiti on an Orthodox Christian church.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) encouraged endeavours to combat ethnic prejudice, and the application of criminal provisions to hate crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The UN Human Rights Council, in its Universal Periodic Review, encouraged Bosnia and Herzegovina to apply criminal provisions on hate crimes.
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) noted that attackers continued to damage religious sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It also recommended that all “incidents of alleged racist violence be thoroughly and promptly investigated” and that the authorities “introduce systematic and comprehensive monitoring of all incidents which may constitute racist violence.”
The Holy See reported six cases of damage to property and two cases of graffiti on places of worship targeting Catholic churches and a parish house, as well of three cases of the desecration of cemeteries. In addition, three cases of damage to property and one of graffiti on a place of worship were reported targeting the Serbian Orthodox Church. Local police investigated all of these incidents.