The Board of Directors of the BH Journalists Association and the Helpline for Journalists – FMHL strongly condemn the brutal attack on BN Television journalist Vesna Vukmirović and this television’s cameraman Srđan Đurić, which happened today in the town of Glogovica near Doboj during the filming of a story about the problem of unhealthy water from the local water supply, the said association said.
BH Journalists and FMHL demand from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republika Srpska and the District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Doboj an urgent, impartial and efficient investigation into all the circumstances of this case, determination of individual responsibility of the perpetrators of the attack and prosecution in accordance with the law.
BH Journalists and the Helpline for Journalists will register this case in the comprehensive database of attacks and violations of the rights of journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina and report it to the regional network SafeJournalists, EFJ, Council of Europe, OSCE and other international organizations that monitor the state of media freedom and safety of journalists.
“After the Institute for Public Health of the Republika Srpska determined that the water in Glogovica is not suitable for use, the BNTV journalist team came to this village with the intention of recording the statements of the people who manage the local water supply. Instead of answering the questions she asked one of the residents of Glogovica, journalist Vukmirović was subjected to insults, threats and physical attack, while cameraman Đurić was verbally attacked. The journalist suffered physical injuries for which she received medical attention,” it was stated in the statement of the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors of BH Journalists assesses that today’s attack on the BNTV team is aggressive and unacceptable intimidation of journalists and preventing the media from professionally reporting on a topic of public importance, in this particular case on the public health of the residents of the village of Glogovica. At the same time, this is not only an attack on a journalistic team and BNTV as a media, but a direct attack on the public’s right to free, timely and truthful information.
“We welcome the fact that the police went to the field immediately after the report and informed the competent prosecutor about the incident, but at the same time we expect this criminal offense to receive a quick and efficient judicial epilogue. With the expression of full solidarity and support for colleagues Vesna Vukmirović and Srđan Đurić, the members of the Board of Directors of BH Journalists reminding that the safety of journalists and all other media workers is one of the key preconditions for media freedom and an integral part of the obligations of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the process of European integration,” this is a quote from the press release.
