Slaven Kovačević

Kovačević brought an application against Bosnia and Herzegovina before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 2022, claiming that his right to political participation had been violated. He argued that, as a citizen who does not declare affiliation with any of the country’s constituent peoples (Bosniaks, Croats, or Serbs), he was discriminated against and prevented from standing for election to the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the House of Peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina.^[5]

In an initial judgment delivered in August 2023, a Chamber of the Court found that the constitutional and electoral framework of Bosnia and Herzegovina had violated his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.^[6][7] However, following a referral, the case was reviewed by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights, which in June 2025 overturned the earlier judgment.^[8] The Grand Chamber held that Kovačević had failed to demonstrate that he was directly and personally affected by the alleged violations, that he had not exhausted available domestic legal remedies, and that his application constituted an abuse of the right to petition. The Court therefore concluded that he did not have victim status under the Convention and dismissed the application.^[9]

Kovačević publicly stated that he considered the decision to be politically motivated, disputing the Court’s reasoning and maintaining that the judgment failed to address systemic discrimination embedded in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s constitutional and electoral framework.^[10][11]

• Slaven Kovačević at cis.unsa.ba