BH Journalists Send Proclamation to the Public

The Association of BH Journalists sent a proclamation to the public of Bosnia and Herzegovina on behalf of the media community at a protest meeting in Sarajevo. The Patria agency transmits the text of the Proclamation in its entirety.

- We, journalists, gathered at a protest meeting in Sarajevo on January 6, 2014, send the following proclamation to the public of Bosnia and Herzegovina:

Journalists of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the entire media community, and the citizens of this country have faced brutal endangerment of media freedoms and the safety of journalists in recent days. Physical attacks on BNTV and TVSA news crews, a court ban on publishing information for FTV, police raid on the Klix portal editorial office, denial of accreditation to BN Television journalists for entry into the office of the President of Republika Srpska, and verbal attacks on editors of the Tačno.net portal are just part of the 400 registered cases of violations of freedom of expression and individual rights of journalists, recorded by the Media Support Line from 2006 to date.

Among these cases, the following were recorded:

- 60 physical attacks on journalists and direct death threats;
final verdicts were issued in only 15% of criminal offenses against journalists
- in 22% of cases, no investigation was initiated, let alone conducted;
- in 23.5% of cases, files were "closed" without efforts by police and judicial institutions to identify perpetrators and ensure legal protection for journalists;

Considering the constant violations of media freedoms and the endangerment of journalists' safety in Bosnia and Herzegovina; the involvement of public officials and high-ranking politicians in attacks on journalists; the unavailability of justice for journalists who are victims of violence; as well as the lack of effective action by competent state bodies and institutions; as journalists and members of the Association of BH Journalists and the Banja Luka Journalists' Club, we demand:

1. from competent police, prosecution, and judicial bodies at all levels of government - from cantons, through entities, to the state and Brčko District - the conduct of an independent, professional, and effective investigation into criminal and other illegal acts against journalists, as well as the undertaking of other legal actions that will result in penalties for the perpetrators. The Media Support Line will share its own database of unprocessed cases of violations of journalists' rights and freedom of expression with the competent bodies and institutions;

2. from the Office of the President of Republika Srpska, the urgent issuance of accreditation to journalists from BN TV from Bijeljina and the Beta Agency - Banja Luka bureau, which is necessary for them to follow the activities of RS President Milorad Dodik and report on events of public importance;

3. from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, an urgent and professional investigation into the attack on Štefica Galić and Amer Bahtijar, editors of the Tačno.net portal, as well as the publication of the investigation results within 7 days.

4. from the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an urgent investigation into the police raid on the Klix.ba portal editorial office and the actions of the Special Prosecutor's Office of Republika Srpska, the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of Sarajevo, and the Municipal Court of Sarajevo which, as judicial institutions, participated in issuing the search warrant.

5. from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, as well as from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Sarajevo Canton, a detailed analysis of police actions regarding the search of the Klix.ba portal premises in the context of violating the right to freedom of expression and journalists' right to protect sources of information, protected by the European Charter of Human Rights, the constitutions of the entities and the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as legal regulations in the field of criminal and civil law.

6. from the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina to urgently address the violations of media freedoms in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the right of journalists to safe and free work, and in accordance with its powers, to take measures that will ensure respect for freedom of expression by state and public institutions, as stated in the pre-accession agreement and several annual progress reports of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the EU integration process.

If these demands are not met within the specified and reasonable deadlines, BH Journalists will call on journalists and media employees from all over the country to public gatherings in front of the aforementioned institutions, until the last demand is met and the public is informed about the measures taken to create a safe and tolerant environment for the work of all media and journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Association of BH Journalists, with journalist clubs in Banja Luka, Doboj, Bihać, Srebrenica, Mostar, Zenica, Tuzla, Goražde, and Brčko District, calls on all journalistic associations and media unions in Bosnia and Herzegovina to support the stated demands, and to express full solidarity with journalists whose rights are systematically and for years endangered.

Inter-journalistic solidarity, the strength and unity of the media community in defending freedom of expression and journalists' rights, along with much more responsible and professional conduct by competent state and public institutions, are the guarantee of success in our fight for greater media freedoms and the safety of the journalistic profession in Bosnia and Herzegovina.