Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has fallen seventeen places on the World Press Freedom Index over the past year. In general, there is an increase in political pressure on media freedoms around the world, including in BiH. Can the legal system protect the journalistic profession, and how? This and many other topics concerning media workers were the focus of the conference “Safety and Position of Female and Male Journalists and Media in BiH.”
Journalists in BiH face numerous challenges in their work on a daily basis. Threats, pressure, attacks – both verbal and physical. Lately, even frequent hacking attacks. One such attack occurred two days ago against the portal Istraga.ba. The editor of this portal, Avdo Avdic, received security protection due to his reporting on international criminal circles.
“From my own experience, I can’t say that I am dissatisfied with the attitude of police agencies who informed me that there are certain activities indicating that my liquidation might be in preparation. The state has done what it could. Of course, let’s not forget that the President of the United States (U.S.) has the highest level of security, and yet he was assassinated,” says Avdic.
In the past year, 54 attacks on journalists have been recorded, and since the beginning of this year to date, 22. Therefore, the situation is extremely concerning.
“Unfortunately, the general situation in BiH is bad because we have an increasing number of complaints regarding threats to journalists’ material and other rights. Fortunately, or due to some other influence, the number of physical assaults has decreased,” emphasized Marko Divkovic, president of the BiH Journalists Association.
To change the current situation, amendments to the Criminal Code are necessary.
“One single provision needs to be introduced into the Criminal Code, namely, a sentence stating that attacks on journalists are considered a criminal offense prosecuted ex officio. Then, the number of attacks of any kind would be significantly lower,” adds Divkovic.
The conference on the safety and position of journalists was precisely an opportunity to exchange experiences and find adequate solutions for the protection of journalists in BiH.
“I am not for threats against journalists, I am not for beatings, I am not for derogatory language. Do your job just like others do theirs, just be responsible in what you do,” said Sevlid Hurtic, Minister for Human Rights and Refugees of BiH (BH Greens).
“Obstructions to journalistic work are not acceptable and that needs to be clearly stated,” said Vahagn Muradyan, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo.
Free, safe, and responsible media are the foundation of every democratic society. In BiH, the number of media outlets has increased in recent years, but what is their quality?
“We are witnessing the opening of some international franchises in BiH, the number of media outlets is not decreasing, on the contrary, it is increasing, while only a handful of journalists are having problems in their work. That is the difference between journalism and propaganda, fulfilling the wishes of marketing agencies, political parties, or managing what is called the public interest,” concluded the editor of the portal Buka, Aleksandar Trifunovic.
The aim of this two-day conference is to encourage open dialogue and create recommendations that will contribute to strengthening mechanisms for the protection of journalists, as well as ensuring a free and responsible media space in BiH.
