The European Union has urged authorities in the Serb-controlled half of Bosnia to withdraw a draft law that brands non-profit groups funded from abroad as foreign agents
The European Union on Thursday urged authorities in the Serb-controlled half of Bosnia to without delay withdraw a draft law that brands non-profit groups funded from abroad as “foreign agents.”
Critics say the draft law resembles a similar one adopted by the Russian Duma on the eve of the Russian aggression against Ukraine.The EU “strongly calls upon all members of the Republika Srpska National Assembly to oppose this draft law, which aims to intimidate and suppress civil society organizations by branding their representatives as foreign agents,” a statement said.
The move has had “a chilling effect on free speech in Republika Srpska,” the EU statement said, adding that by adopting the new draft law, the Bosnian Serb mini-state would come closer to the authoritarian regimes instead of the European family.