Hooligans storm Radio Sarajevo newsroom, hold editor hostage

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The editorial office of the portal Radiosarajevo.ba informs the public of Bosnia and Herzegovina that a brazen attack by a group of hooligans, who present themselves as fans of the Football Club Sarajevo, on the newsroom and editorial staff of our portal occurred tonight, it was announced tonight from the editorial office of Radiosarajevo.ba.

"Namely, after the editorial office of Radiosarajevo.ba, following a professional verification, published that a Sarajevo fan received a five-year prison sentence in Belarus because local police found 0.16 grams of cocaine on him, the editorial office and staff of our portal faced unprecedented death threats against them personally and their family members.

Under such threats, in a kind of hostage situation, the editor of our portal was forced to physically remove the mentioned text from the Radiosarajevo.ba portal system, and then, under the same threats, was forced to call other newsrooms of portals and newspapers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to ask them to remove the mentioned content as well. Fearing for his own and his family's safety, our colleague, therefore, under duress, carried out the order of the group of attackers.

The editorial board of the portal Radiosarajevo.ba strongly condemns the attack on the editorial office of our portal, the endangerment and threats to our journalists and editors, as well as their family members.

We demand that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Sarajevo Canton and other police agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina professionally investigate the mentioned case, that the perpetrators of this unprecedented attack on the media in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina be identified and prosecuted, and that the journalists and editorial staff of the portal Radiosarajevo.ba be provided with adequate protection.

We call on journalistic associations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, as well as fellow journalists, for solidarity in this unprecedented attack on media freedom in our country. We also take this opportunity to thank all colleagues who have already expressed support for the editorial office of the portal Radiosarajevo.ba.

Today, the editorial office of Radiosarajevo.ba was targeted, and tomorrow it could be any one of us," the statement reads.