Sarajevo, 14 October 2019
Dear Excellencies,
As a coalition of 40 civil society organizations from across Bosnia and Herzegovina, working on protecting human rights, establishing rule of law and building democracy, it has come to our attention that an association from Bosnia and Herzegovina – the so-called Croatian National Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CNA) – represents itself to the European Union and United Nations institutions as an independent non-governmental civil society organization that gathers human rights defenders.
We are obliged to react to clarify that this organization (CNA) consists from elected and appointed officials in Bosnia and Herzegovina who are members of the Croat Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) – a conservative ethnic-oriented political party which is in power on all levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while some CNA members are members of a few other ethnic-oriented political parties. The full list of political parties-members of CNA is available on the CNA web site.[i]
The CNA Statute, Article 21 lists official posts in Bosnia and Herzegovina whose holders qualify for the CNA Assembly membership, of course only if they are a Croat elected or appointed to these posts (member of Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, member of parliaments on all levels, prime ministers, ministers, mayors etc.).[ii]
Moreover, Dragan Čović, the president of CNA[iii] is also president of HDZ BiH[iv] and co-chair of the House of Peoples in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[v] We also have to draw to your attention that Dragan Čović has been a a strong political figure, with a lot of influence to political life in Bosnia and Herzegovina, not often in harmony with democratic values and respect for human rights, especially the rights of war victims.[vi]
Other members of the Presidency of CNA[vii] are also high ranked members of HDZ BiH[viii] or other political parties-members of CNA, as well as high ranking elected and appointed officials in Bosnia and Herzegovina:
- Borjana Krišto (Deputy President of HDZ BiH; co-chair of the House of Representatives in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina[ix])
- Ilija Cvitanović (President of HDZ 1990[x] – political party-member of CNA)
- Stanko Primorac (President of HSP BiH[xi] – political party-member of CNA)
- Anto Lozančić (President of HSS SR[xii] – political party-member of CNA; Member of Assembly of Central Bosnia Canton[xiii])
- Slaven Raguž (President of HRS[xiv] – political party-member of CNA; Member of Assembly of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton[xv])
- Ivan Musa (President of HKDU BiH – political party-member of CNA; Member of House of Representatives in the Parliament of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina[xvi])
- Pero Barbarić (President of HKDU-HRAST – political party-member of CNA)
- Milijan Nakić (President of HSP AS[xvii] – political party-members of CNA)
- Mirko Vasilj (President of ČNS – political party-member of CNA)
- Nikola Raguž (President of HSP – political party-member of CNA)
- Lidija Bradara (Member of Presidency of HDZ BiH; president of Croat Caucus in the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina[xviii])
- Mladen Begić (Member of Presidency of HDZ BiH, minister in the West-Herzegovina Cantonal Government[xix])
- Ilija Nakić (member of the House of Peoples in the Parliament of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina[xx], on behalf of HDZ BiH)
- Marinko Čavara (Vice-President of HDZ BiH; President of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina[xxi])
- Zdenko Ćosić (Vice-President of HDZ BiH; Prime Minister of West-Herzegovina Canton[xxii])
- Davor Čordaš (Member of Presidency of HDZ BiH; Member of the Council of Peoples in the People’s Assembly of Republika Srpska[xxiii])
- Anto Domić (Member of Presidency of HDZ BiH; Deputy Mayor of Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina[xxiv])
- Miljana Glamuzina (Secretary-General of HDZ BiH; Member of the Council of the Government of the Republic of Croatia for Croats outside Republic of Croatia[xxv])
- Mario Karamatić (President of HSS BiH – political party-member of CNA)
- Marijan Klaić (Member of the House of Representatives in the Parliament of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina[xxvi], on behalf of HDZ BiH)
- Mijo Perkunić (Member of the People’s Assembly of Republika Srpska[xxvii])
- Mato Zovko (Member of Presidency of HDZ BiH; Mayor of Žepče Municipality, on behalf of HDZ BiH[xxviii])
Therefore, we call upon all United Nations member states and their Permanent Missions to refrain from taking into consideration inputs from the Croatian National Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CNA). Its leadership and assembly membership consists exclusively out of politicians who are in power in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Though registered as an association in accordance with domestic legislation, its aims and abuse of political position is quite the contrary to what independent non-governmental civil society organizations are truly fighting for.
Initiative for Monitoring the European Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina
(The Initiative’s letter to the Permanent Missions to the UN Office at Geneva is available at the link).
(The CNA submission to the Permanent Missions to the UN Office at Geneva is available at the link.)
—
[i] CNA, members: http://www.hnsbih.ba/clanice-hns-bih/.
[ii] CNA, Statute: http://www.hnsbih.ba/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/STATUT-HNS-a_usvojen-na-VI-zasjedanju_28_02_2015.pdf.
[iii] CNA, President: http://www.hnsbih.ba/predsjednik-hns-bih/.
[iv] HDZ BiH, president: http://www.hdzbih.org/hr/predsjednik.
[v] Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Collegium of the House of Peoples: https://www.parlament.ba/Content/Read/265?title=%C4%8ClanoviKolegijaDomanaroda.
[vi] Why Not, CSOs demand the resignation of HDZ BiH officials for oppening supporting criminal Dario Kordić: https://zastone.ba/en/csos-demand-the-resignation-of-hdz-officials-for-openly-supporting-criminal-dario-kordic/.
[vii] CNA, Presidency: http://www.hnsbih.ba/predsjednistvo-hns-bih/.
[viii] HDZ BiH, Presidency: http://www.hdzbih.org/hr/predsjednistvo.
[ix] Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Collegium of the House of Representatives: http://parlament.ba/Content/Read/268?title=%C4%8ClanoviKolegijaPredstavni%C4%8Dkogdoma.
[x] HDZ 1990, President: https://www.hdz1990.org/ilija-cvitanovic-je-novi-predsjednik-hdz-a-1990/.
[xi] HSP BiH: http://hsp-bih.ba/.
[xii] HSS SR: http://www.hss-bh.ba/.
[xiii] Central Bosnia Canton, Members of Assembly: http://sbk-ksb.gov.ba/hr/zastupnici.html.
[xiv] HRS, Presidency: http://www.hrsbih.org/index.php/o-nama/predsjednistvo.
[xv] Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, Members of Assembly: http://www.skupstina.org/hr/representative.
[xvi] Parliament of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Members of the House of Representatives: https://predstavnickidom-pfbih.gov.ba/bs/page.php?id=8.
[xvii] HSP AS: http://hspas.ba/.
[xviii] Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Members of the House of Peoples: http://parlament.ba/delegate/detail/548.
[xix] West-Herzegovina Canton, Government: http://www.vladazzh.com/sastav-vlade.aspx.
[xx] Parliament of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Members of the House of Representatives, Ilija Nakić: https://parlamentfbih.gov.ba/v2/bs/stranica.php?idstranica=141.
[xxi] President of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: http://predsjednikfbih.gov.ba/.
[xxii] West-Herzegovina Canton, Office of the Prime Minister: http://www.vladazzh.com/ured-predsjednika.aspx.
[xxiii] Council of Peoples in the People’s Assembly of Republika Srpska, Croat delegates: https://www.vijecenarodars.net/index.php/sastav-vijeca/delegati-kluba-iz-reda-hrvatskog-naroda.
[xxiv] Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Deputy Mayor: http://www.vlada.bdcentral.net/Content/Read/zamjenik-gradonacelnika-brcko-distrikta-bih.
[xxv] Council of the Government of the Republic of Croatia for Croats outside Republic of Croatia: https://hrvatiizvanrh.gov.hr/UserDocsImages//dokumenti/savjet_vlade//hmiu1026544638.pdf.
[xxvi] Parliament of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Members of the House of Representatives: https://predstavnickidom-pfbih.gov.ba/bs/page.php?id=8.
[xxvii] People’s Assembly of Republika Srpska, Mijo Perkunić: https://www.narodnaskupstinars.net/?q=en/national-assembly/composition/members-of-parliament/mijo-perkuni%C4%87.
[xxviii] Žepče Municipality, Mayor: https://opcina-zepce.com/index.php/politics/nacelnik.