Editorial Board of Slobodna Bosna: We are suffering brutal attacks, but no one will stop us from doing our professional work

(Patria) - For the past several years, Slobodna Bosna has been the target of brutal attacks by media from Serbia controlled by the regime of Aleksandar Vučić.

These attacks have recently escalated to the point where Slobodna Bosna is openly labeled as an "Islamist" and "jihadist" portal, which is a classic lie and dangerous insinuation, as can be confirmed by all those who have followed Slobodna Bosna's work for years, from our readers to numerous representatives and institutions of the international community with whom we cooperate.

Despite the unprecedented brutality and persistence of the attacks on Slobodna Bosna, no journalists' association from Bosnia and Herzegovina or the region has seen fit to react and condemn these attacks in the past years.

The culmination of the campaign against Slobodna Bosna came a few days ago when we published findings about the subjugation of certain media in the region by the regime of Aleksandar Vučić.

Instead of the expected support for Slobodna Bosna, at least now if they could not or did not want to earlier, this witch hunt was unfortunately encouraged by statements from representatives of certain non-governmental organizations, as well as journalists' associations from the region and, finally, the Association of BH Journalists.

None of them contacted Slobodna Bosna or attempted in any way to verify the published information, taking an ad hoc position that the information is inaccurate.

The campaign was joined by Darko Brkan, who presents himself as an unquestionable media expert, insinuating that "the Government of Kosovo is behind the disinformation of Slobodna Bosna."

Given that through projects implemented by his NGO, he holds a kind of monopoly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also in the region, to assess and decide on disinformation in the media and based on that to issue grades and penalties, we invite him to prove these insinuations (which he will ultimately have to prove in court proceedings we will initiate against him for these lies).

Or, for starters, it would be professional for his colleagues from the portal Raskrinkavanje to do that analysis.

The editorial board of Slobodna Bosna hereby rejects all accusations and allegations made by certain fellow journalists from the region, certain media outlets, international and regional media associations, certain international officials from Kosovo, and political officials from the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Kosovo.

We reject allegations of "lack of evidence," "lack of authorship," "suspicious sources," and the like as unfounded.



Slobodna Bosna was launched in the early 1990s in Sarajevo and has since left a deep mark on the history of Bosnian-Herzegovinian and regional journalism.

This is confirmed by numerous works of domestic, regional, and international scholars, who cite Slobodna Bosna's writings in their works.

Following the same path and with the same professional responsibility, Slobodna Bosna has continued its work on a new, digital platform in accordance with the demands of modern times.

Just as we have often been targeted over the past three decades by political parties, regimes, various state and para-state structures, and even fellow journalists, because of our investigations that (with reason) at the time caused disbelief, we do so today as well.

If not from the current case, fellow journalists and everyone else should learn from (our) past that everything that now seems unbelievable can certainly be confirmed by time.

In all this, we cannot fail to notice that certain colleagues from Kosovo claim without any evidence that behind the information published by Slobodna Bosna stands the Government of Kosovo and the Prime Minister of that country, Albin Kurti, which is the same pattern used by the regime of Aleksandar Vučić in Serbia when it links Slobodna Bosna's writing to the activities of the opposition in that country.

It is deplorable that the same methods are used by journalists who claim to be free and independent and the regime in the country (Serbia) where, according to a recent report by Reporters Without Borders, media freedom is the most endangered in the last 22 years.

The editorial board of Slobodna Bosna also strongly condemns all attacks on fellow journalists by certain political officials in Kosovo and Serbia. We call on the competent authorities in these countries to provide them with the necessary protection.

We reject as unfounded the analogies that Slobodna Bosna's work gave rise to this. In a democratic society, every individual is responsible for a publicly spoken or written word.

Slobodna Bosna will continue to work and investigate all matters of public interest unhindered and professionally, even at the cost of continued pressure and attacks we are currently witnessing.

Editorial Board of Slobodna Bosna