Party of BiH: The Troika is creating media darkness to bring FTV under political control

(Patria) - After BHRT made the decision to temporarily suspend the production and broadcasting services of FTV from this morning, justifying that the measures are being introduced due to unpaid debts on the basis of invoices issued for services provided over the last four months, "which has led to difficulties in BHRT's operations", the Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina demands that adequate measures be taken urgently for the current situation and that the collapse of the public service be prevented.

"Media darkness on the public service screen represents the strangulation of the most significant mechanism through which the public interest of all citizens is conveyed and expressed. It is being attempted to present to the public that the FTV signal has been cut off due to accumulated debts, but it is clear that this public service has been brought to its current position by the deliberate anti-state actions of current political factors, driven by the desire to control the media space of the public service.

It is evident that the newly created crisis is artificially induced and that it is an attempt by the parties of the Troika to bring FTV under political control. It is imperative that the BHRT Management Board revokes the disputed order so as not to destroy a media house that even the aggressor did not shut down during the war".

SBiH reminds the public of the statement by the president of NIP, Elmedin Konaković, "that a long-term solution is expected when people who act as the Troika's policies demand of them sit in the management of both public broadcasters, FTV and BHRT".

"With that statement, Konaković confirmed that they want to bring the public service under political influence, even at the cost of media darkness in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The public interest, editorial independence, and respect for journalistic standards must be the principles of operation of public media services, not the desires of certain politicians to implement their failing policies through self-censorship".

The position of the Party of BiH is that without a public service, a country can never be democratic, nor European, which is why we remind of the interdependence of BiH's path to EU membership and the state's obligations to create conditions for the unimpeded functioning and sustainability of the public RTV service.