Democracy died in Republika Srpska
27 May 2025
Equipped with a coffin and dressed in dark pants, jackets and coats, activists from the collective "Restart Srpska" gathered in front of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska (RS) last May – the Bosnian-Serb federal entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina – to stage a funeral.
Democracy died, as the activists claimed, following the adoption of yet another foreign agent lawthe Law on Foreign Agents., a. This Russian-inspired legislation that obliges media organisations, NGOs, and non-governmental foundations receiving external funding to register in a transparency register controlled by the authorities.
This way, the authorities extend their control over non-governmental organisations, limit their ability to act freely by funding cuts and additional bureaucracy.
Mirko Komljenović, one of the activists, was soon after charged by RS police with a misdemeanour. According to lawyersJovana Kisin Zagajac, lawyer and human rights defender, the activist was deliberately targeted by RS police with fabricated accusation in order to silence him. For a year, he was dragged through a seemingly endless legal saga – until last Friday evening, when he was finally acquitted.
 | Alessandro Cinciripini Activists are more vulnerable than ever in Republika Srpska. They face repression and fake trials staged by the police just to scare them and break their spirit. The foreign agent law Law on Foreign Agents is the final nail on the coffin, hammered in tightly by the current ultranationalist RS authorities, who over the last decade systematically dismantled rule of law and freedom of expression. It started with Law on Defamation, adopted in 2023 to expose journalists and independent media, to targeted lawsuits and intimidation by the authorities. Today, Republika Srpska is closer than ever to autocratic regimes like Russia and neighbouring Serbia and Hungary, where similar abuses of power are also becoming common practice.Comment: |
Welcome to The European Correspondent
Europe lacks true European media: in Germany alone, there are more media devoted exclusively to football than news outlets specialising on Europe. The established players mainly focus on Brussels and European institutions. The European Correspondent aims to change that. We cover the whole of Europe and write for a community of citizens who want to look beyond their own national borders. Without European journalism, there is no European civil society.
〉Read our manifesto
〉The stories we would like to write for you
Become a donor!
The European Correspondent is fully funded by its readers. We can only produce the newsletter with your support - and work towards the bigger project: building true European media. Donate now!
With your help, we can create true European journalism. Thank you!
We are non-profit. Every donated € goes directly into The European Correspondent.