BH journalists: Konaković has for years shown elementary ignorance of media freedoms and freedom of expression standards

(Patria) - The Management Board of the BH Journalists Association and the Journalists' Help Line consider professionally unacceptable and politically harmful the statement by Elmedin Konaković, president of NiP and Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH, that the crisis in the public information system can only be resolved when two public broadcasters - FTV and BHRT - have "management that will work under the dictate" of the parties gathered in the ruling coalition Trojka.

"With his statement at a press conference held on Friday, 9 February in Sarajevo, Konaković unequivocally made it clear that his political engagement in resolving the issue of collecting the RTV fee for BHRT and FTV is not about saving them from financial collapse and helping journalists and other employees receive their earned salaries, but rather a targeted attempt to impose political control and create preconditions for these media to work in the interest of the Trojka parties, and not all citizens of BiH.

The Management Board of BH Journalists reminds that Konaković has for years, in his capacity as president of NiP and/or various public offices he has held, shown elementary ignorance of media freedoms and standards of freedom of expression.

Dozens of times he has targeted journalists and called into question their safety and dignified work, using political manipulations and even institutional pressures.

This time he went a step further - he brutally and politically attacked the public broadcasters, demonstrating complete ignorance of EU values of the public information system, within which political independence and work in the public interest are at the very top.

The Management Board of BH Journalists assesses the latest statement by Minister Konaković as absolutely unacceptable and harmful to BiH's European path, given that the protection of public information and political independence of public broadcasters (along with media freedoms and journalist safety) are among the 14 conditions the state must meet in order to have the opportunity to open negotiations on EU integration.

In this context, the Management Board of BH Journalists demands that the Council of Ministers of BiH and the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH return the resolution of the crisis in the collection and lawful distribution of the RTV fee in both BiH entities to the system's institutions.

The Council of Ministers and the state Parliament must stop any attempt at 'political trading', acceptance of 'compromises', or adoption of any solutions that will reduce freedom of expression and the right of citizens to access public and plural sources of information as fundamental democratic values!

The Management Board of BH Journalists appeals to the Delegation of the European Union and all other international actors in BiH not to allow or support any political agreements and calculations that will enable BiH politicians and ruling parties to sacrifice public information, as well as media freedoms in general, for the sake of an apparent 'rush' to meet the final conditions for obtaining approval and starting negotiations on EU integration," the Management Board of the BH Journalists Association stated.