MP Begić: Attack on journalists should be punishable by imprisonment

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - At the session of the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament in February, I launched an initiative to amend the Criminal Code of FBiH, proposing that an attack on journalists be treated as an attack on official persons, SDP representative in the House of Representatives Senaid Begić told Patria.

Begić says that before his initiative, representative Zlatko Ercegović submitted an initiative that an attack on doctors and medical staff also be treated as an attack on an official person.

"That initiative received support. As for this initiative, given that it has gone into procedure, I spoke with the Chairman of the House of Representatives Elvir Karajbić and received information that the Parliament will declare on this initiative at the session on April 10. I hope that the Parliament will accept the initiative, given the recent events and frequent attacks on journalists, which have been condemned by the OSCE, the US Embassy, international and non-governmental organizations. Once the initiative is accepted, it goes into procedure, and we will seek that it be placed as a subject of discussion in the House of Representatives as soon as possible," Begić told Patria.

As he explained, the initiative requested that the Criminal Code be amended and that an attack on journalists be punishable by imprisonment from three months to three years.

Commenting on views that, if journalists were treated as official persons, the Law on Abuse of Position could apply to them, Begić says it all depends on the perspective.

"The initiative speaks from the perspective of the fact of frequent attacks on journalists and reporters. Of course, a distinction should be made between what is treated as an attack on a journalist and what is the cause. This will probably be defined through discussion, but also through other acts," Begić told Patria.

At the same time, as Patria learns, a group of MPs in the BiH Parliament is intensively working on drafting a law that will better and more effectively protect the rights of journalists. The draft law is being prepared in cooperation with the BH Journalists association.