Bosnian Election Restrictions Challenged In European Court As Discriminatory

Last week, the European Court of Human Rights heard arguments in the case of Sejdić and Finci v. Bosnia and Herzegovina challenging provisions in Bosnia's constitution and the election act of 2001. (Court press release.) Haaretz also reports on the case brought by the head of Bosnia's Jewish community and the head of its Roma Council are challenging restrictions that limit candidates for the Presidency and the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly to members of the Bosnian Serb, Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Croat communities. They argue that the restrictions violate Articles 3 (inhuman and degrading treatment), 13 (right to an effective remedy) and 14 (prohibition of discrimination) of the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention (right to free elections) and Article 1 of Protocol No. 12 to the Convention (general prohibition of discrimination).