CAT/C/BIH/CO/2-5
The State party should also ensure that these offences are punishable by
appropriate penalties which take into account their grave nature, as set out in
article 4, paragraph 2, of the Convention.
War crimes of rape and other forms of sexual violence
9.
The Committee expresses its serious concern that the definition of war crimes of
sexual violence in the Criminal Code is not consistent with the definition in international
standards and in jurisprudence of international courts and that, in particular, articles 172
and 173 of the Criminal Code may result in impunity for such crimes. In addition, the
Committee remains concerned at the lack of accurate and updated data on the number of
victims of war-time rape and other acts of sexual violence (arts. 1 and 4).
The Committee recommends that the State party amend the Criminal Code to
include a definition of sexual violence in accordance with international
standards and jurisprudence related to the prosecution of war crimes of sexual
violence and remove the condition of “force or threat of immediate attack”
from the present definition. Also, the State party should include in its next
report the statistical data on the unresolved cases related to war-time rape and
other sexual violence.
Fundamental legal safeguards
10.
The Committee notes with concern that, in practice, persons deprived of their liberty
are not always afforded all fundamental legal safeguards from the very outset of their
detention (art. 2).
The Committee recommends that the State party take all necessary legal and
administrative safeguards to ensure that suspects are guaranteed the right to
have access to a lawyer and an independent doctor, preferably of their own
choice, to notify a relative, to be informed of their rights at the time of
detention, and to be brought promptly before a judge in accordance with
international standards irrespective of the nature of their alleged crime.
Ombudsman
11.
The Committee, while noting the recent unification of Ombudsman institutions into
a single State office of the Human Rights Ombudsman with the broadened scope of
functions, is concerned about reports of the alleged lack of independence and the
effectiveness of the Ombudsman as well as the need for the allocation of adequate
resources in order to fulfil the mandate of the office. The Committee regrets the lack of a
clear explanation on the follow-up measures taken by the competent authorities in response
to the Ombudsman’s recommendations on various places of detention (CAT/C/BIH/2-5,
para. 227) (art. 2).
The State party should increase its efforts to restructure and strengthen the
Ombudsman by:
(a)
Adopting a more consultative and open process for the selection
and appointment of the Ombudsman in order to guarantee the independence of
the Ombudsman in line with the principles relating to the status of national
institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (Paris Principles,
General Assembly resolution 48/134);
(b)
Providing adequate human, material and financial resources;
3