Law on Missing Persons 2004

The Law on Missing Persons of Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted on 21 October 2004 and published on 9 November 2004. The Law entered into force on 17 November, the eighth day after its publication. Its purpose is to revise the definition of a missing person, to improve the process of tracing of missing persons, the exchange of information, the keeping of central records and the realization of social and other rights of family members, as well as to address other issues related to missing persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Law furthermore establishes the Institute for Missing Persons of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is assigned the task of tracing missing persons in and from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Law also creates the Central Records of Missing Persons, stipulating that the latter shall include all records of missing persons kept at local and entity levels by associations of families of missing persons, by other associations of citizens and by the Tracing Agencies of the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in accordance with their respective mandates. The Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina supervises the implementation of this Law.