The Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sector for Criminal Legal Assistance and Training in Criminal Matters before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, held a training session on 3 September 2026 in Sarajevo, at Hotel Europe, 5 Vladislava Skarića Street, as part of the continuing professional development of attorneys-at-law. The training was entitled “Criminal Law Protection of the Electoral Process in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

The training was conducted by Dr. Irena Hadžiabdić, Member of the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Nives Kanevčev, Prosecutor at the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During the seminar, participants were presented with the legal framework governing the protection of electoral rights, with particular emphasis on the various forms of electoral irregularities and their identification in practice. Dr. Irena Hadžiabdić addressed these topics and, through practical examples, presented the most common forms of electoral irregularities and the challenges involved in ensuring the legality and integrity of the electoral process. She also presented new electoral technologies being introduced for the first time in the electoral process in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The second part of the training focused on criminal offences against electoral rights, as well as the actions of judicial institutions in cases involving the criminal law protection of the electoral process. These topics were addressed by Prosecutor Nives Kanevčev, who presented the relevant provisions of criminal legislation, as well as the experience and practice of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina in handling cases concerning criminal offences against electoral rights.

The seminar provided an opportunity to exchange experiences and discuss practical aspects of protecting the electoral process, particularly with regard to identifying electoral irregularities, the legal classification of criminal offences, and the actions of the competent institutions.

The topic of the seminar was of particular importance given the significance of protecting voting rights and the integrity of the electoral process for the functioning of democratic institutions and the rule of law.

A total of 24 attorneys-at-law from across Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in the seminar.