Bosnian Election watchdog fines candidate for her homophobic comments

REUTERS/Đorđe Kojadinović

Bosnia's Central Election Commission (CIK) fined, on Wednesday, Adna Pandzic, a joint candidate of the left-leaning Democratic Front (DF) and Citizens Alliance (GS) for her homophobic post on Facebook.

Pandzic was fined for her Facebook status from August this year in which she called the Sarajevo Pride march a “Shame march.”

After the “BiH Pride march” on August 23 this year, in addition to writing that it was a “Shame parade,” she stated that she “expresses definite and final opposition and non-acceptance of that group in our society” and that “spiritual, religious and moral principles as the only, final decision-making factors without ana alternative, which do not allow my human reason, conscience and consciousness to accept this as a normal pattern of behaviour.”

Apart from paying a 3,000 marks (some €1,500) fine, the CIK decided to fine the coalition DF-GS with 1,500 marks (some €750) – with each party paying half of the total sum.

The Pride march organizers welcomed the watchdog's decision on Thursday, calling on all political parties, entities, leaders and candidates to urgently stop spreading hate speech against members of the LGBTIQ community.