Post-War Protection of Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina was characterized by human rights abuses on a scale not seen in Europe since World War II. It is not then surprising that the Dayton Agreement, together with related texts and agreements, lays out what is probably the most ambitious human rights protection regime ever included within an international peace settlement. The peace agreement imports myriad substantive guarantees for the protection of every category of human rights, including some through a novel application of the European Convention on Human Rights. The provisions are accompanied by a highly complex system for both monitoring and enforcement of their implementation. These enforcement procedures contain temporary elements, such as international field operations, and an array of tribunals and institutions intended to be permanent. The present volume is a contribution to the process of interpreting and assessing the post-Dayton human rights regime in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The analysis of the contributing human rights scholars and practitioners is located within the contexts of the immediate reality and needs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the systemic significance of the peace agreement for other post-conflict and complex emergency situations worldwide.