BH JOURNALISTS: We demand security protection for journalist Avdo Avdić, and sanctions for all threats directed at him

(Patria) - The Steering Board of the BH Journalists Association and the Helpline for Journalists demand urgent security protection measures for journalist Avdo Avdić, editor of the portal Istraga.ba, from the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) and the Intelligence-Security Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (OSA), as well as the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Sarajevo Canton (MUP KS), due to serious indications that a person from drug circles planned his assassination.

Regardless of the arrest of Dino Muzaferović in Slovenia, the person who, according to the portal Istraga, planned the assassination of Avdo Avdić, the Steering Board of BH Journalists and the Helpline for Journalists believe that the security risks to the life of this journalist and his family have not been eliminated, and that they must be provided with police protection and special surveillance twenty-four hours a day.

BH Journalists emphasize that journalist Avdo Avdić has been writing for years about international criminal circles connected to drug cartels and their leaders, which is why he has received serious threats and been under constant pressure. We must regretfully state that this journalist was threatened not only by individuals from the criminal milieu but also by politicians from BiH and holders of the highest state positions, through whom they attempted to professionally discredit and dehumanize Avdić, and create a circle of violence and security risks around him by presenting him
himself as a "criminal". None of these cases resulted in the punishment of the attackers, although it is quite clear that both the threats and attacks were undertaken with the aim of stopping Avdić's writing about crime and corruption!

The Steering Board of BH Journalists and the Helpline for Journalists strongly condemn the unpunished violence and threats against Avdo Avdić, and urgently demand from the competent police and prosecutorial structures in BiH a public statement on the measures they will take now that they have reliable information about the planning of our colleague's assassination. Furthermore, we urgently demand a statement from the police and judiciary on the measures they are taking to sanction the individuals behind the previous, still unpunished threats and attacks on Avdić, including the creation of a scandalous video and its publication on social networks in May 2024.