At its 21st regular session held today, the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH adopted the Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of the Federation of BiH, following deliberation and discussion. With this adoption, Article 166a was introduced, defining femicide as a specific criminal offense of aggravated murder of a female person.

“(1) Whoever commits a gender-based murder of a female person shall be punished by imprisonment of ten years or long-term imprisonment.

(2) In determining the criminal offense referred to in paragraph (1) of this Article, it shall be taken into account whether the crime was committed against a close person, a person previously abused by the perpetrator, a vulnerable person, a person in a subordinate or dependent relationship, or if it was committed in circumstances of sexual violence or based on discriminatory relations placing women in an unequal position, or if there are other circumstances indicating gender-based violence.”
With this, femicide has been officially recognized in the Criminal Code of the Federation of BiH as a separate criminal offense—something the organization Glas žene Bihać and its partner associations have been advocating for over the past 11 months as part of the campaign “We Will Not Die in Silence.”

“I welcome the decision of the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament and extend my gratitude to all representatives who contributed to finally regulating femicide as a specific criminal offense. This is truly a historic moment for all victims of gender-based violence and a turning point in the fight against the gender-based killings of women. I expect that the House of Peoples of the FBiH Parliament will soon confirm this proposal,” stated Neira Raković, campaign coordinator.
It is also important to highlight that an amendment proposed by Glas žene Bihać was adopted, ensuring that the terminology in Article 2 of the Criminal Code of FBiH now reads:

“(41) Gender-based violence against women means violence directed at a woman because she is a woman or violence that disproportionately affects women.”
Additionally, at the proposal of the Government, gender-based violence has been defined as an aggravating circumstance in the following way:

“Such conduct shall be considered an aggravating circumstance if this law does not explicitly prescribe a more severe punishment.”
“We are especially grateful to all citizens who supported this initiative with their signatures, as well as to the media who have consistently supported us throughout this process,” concludes Neira Raković.
For more information about the campaign and project, please visit our Facebook page Glas žene Bihać.