Race as a barrier to standing for public office: the case of Sejdic and Finci

Race as a barrier to standing for public office: the case of Sejdic and Finci

The case concerns two applicants of Jewish and Roma origin, who are barred by law from standing for election in the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly and for the state presidency in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The applicants complained that, despite being fully qualified and possessing experience, they were prevented by the Constitution from standing for election for the reason of their ethnicity, which was discriminatory and breached their elective rights.

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Hate crimes in Croatia and the failure to investigate

Hate crimes in Croatia and the failure to investigate

Mr. Šemso Šečić was subjected to a physical assault by two strangers carrying wooden planks. The men shouted racist abuse during the attack, indicating a motive based on ethnic hatred for Mr Šečić ‘s Roma origin. Despite the severity and racist movitvation of the attack, the police failed to properly investigate. The case highlighted a wider problem with the failure to investigate hate crimes in Croatia.

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