Bosnia publishes quarantine breakers' names and hometowns

The Ministry of Administration and Local Self-Government of the Republic of Srpska, an entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina, published the full and hometowns of the first 30 people who broke quarantine on March 23. The move was condemned by the Initiative for Monitoring the European Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina, arguing that the move could lead to discrimination, stigmatisation, and even lynching, that there was no legal basis for removing protection from personal data, and recommending that supervision of people under quarantine should be left to the police. The individuals were also fined. Although the country's data protection agency opposes publishing the personal details of those who have not breached the isolation order, as one municipality did, the agency considers it's not illegal to  publish the personal details of those who have breached the order, and deems doing so proportionate to the threat and in the public interest. The agency argued that publishing data on everyone subject to quarantine risks undermining confidence in the health care system and could deter people from consulting their doctor, leading to wider spread of the disease.

Sources:

https://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/objavljena-imena-30-osoba-iz-rs-a-koja-ne-postuju-kucnu-izolaciju/200324179 (Bosnian)
https://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/zabranjeno-objavljivanje-podataka-o-osobama-koje-su-zarazene-i-nalaze-se-u-izolaciji/200324186 (Bosnian)
https://faktor.ba/vijest/kovacevic-dozvoljeno-javno-objaviti-imena-osoba-koje-krse-kucnu-izolaciju/75593 (Bosnian)
https://koronavirususrpskoj.com/spisak-lica-koja-su-prekrsila-izolaciju/ (Bosnian)
http://www.fena.ba/article/1142801/publishing-names-of-persons-in-isolation-will-cause-more-harm-than-good

Writer: Klix, Ministry, Faktor, FENA
Publication: Klix, Ministry, Faktor, Federalna Novinska Agencija,