A/HRC/10/25
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long before experienced discrimination at all levels of public life, including political,
social-economic and cultural, having had to endure taxes and second-class citizenship,
resettlement, political, social and cultural isolation and other special hardships and even
massacres.
6.
The Government of Armenia believes that genocides are often thoroughly planned. Prior to
undertaking genocidal action, its instigators propagate intolerance and hatred, thereby setting the
ground for violence; parts of the population are identified as terrorists, secessionists, criminals
and traitors. These practices are still being employed today by political establishments: they
include hate speech, humiliation of a group in the media, vilification of people belonging to
specific groups, and denial of past genocides and atrocities constituting the ideological part of
the State exclusionary policy, usually accompanied by the violation of political rights of a
specific group (such as lack of freedom of speech, press, assembly and political marginalization).
Thus, these warning signs, though not exhaustive, may constitute a certain set of signs at the
political level.
7.
Under the same logic, the Government of Armenia also believes that expropriation, the
destruction of property, man-made famine and the denial of food, water or medical services, as
described by the Special Adviser, constitute a set of warning signs at the social and economic
levels. Accordingly, the destruction of cultural property and religious sites and the suppression of
cultural identity will be listed under the warning signs at the cultural level. However, all these
violations need to be of a systematic nature and frequently occurring to be regarded as warning
signs of a genocidal situation.
B. Bosnia and Herzegovina
8.
The Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a State member of the United Nations
organization and party to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination, successfully presented its initial report to the competent Committee on the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 22 and 23 February 2005.
9.
According to the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, racial discrimination, like other
forms of discrimination, is directly prohibited by the Constitutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina
and its two Entities and is incriminated through several characteristics of crimes within the
criminal legislation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, its two Entities and District Brcko. This clearly
reflects the determination of the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina to “respect the human
rights of all citizens, of aliens living in Bosnia and Herzegovina on a permanent basis and of
aliens with temporary residence.
10. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination considered and adopted the
report submitted by Bosnia and Herzegovina at its session held on 22 and 23 February 2005. The
Committee submitted its detailed recommendations with concluding remarks to the authorities of
Bosnia and Herzegovina. The latter are obliged to respond to the recommendations in the second
periodic report on the implementation of the Convention, by July 2008.
11. When it adopted in 2003 its new State Criminal Code, Bosnia and Herzegovina introduced
provisions of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination to the Code, stipulating criminal sanctions for these offences, establishing
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