WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY A free society depends on media freedom

(Patria) - World Press Freedom Day is being celebrated today, with the aim of raising awareness about the importance of media freedom and its fundamental principles.

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly proclaimed May 3rd as World Press Freedom Day in 1993, and it is celebrated on the anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration, a statement of press freedom principles drafted by a group of African journalists in 1991 in Windhoek, Namibia, with a unique vision – to protect the fundamental rights of a free press.

This declaration implies independence from political, economic, and governing structures. Journalists covering armed conflicts worldwide are at the greatest risk, but many have also been killed outside of armed conflicts.

OSCE Mission in BiH - A free society depends on media freedom

A free society depends on media freedom. On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Mission) reiterates its unwavering commitment to defending the fundamental rights to free and independent media reporting and the resulting right of journalists to work in a safe environment, free from undue pressure and third-party interference.

- Media freedom is increasingly threatened worldwide, and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is no exception. In 2024, BiH dropped 17 places on the World Press Freedom Index, now ranking 81st out of 180 countries – the OSCE Mission in BiH stated in its press release.

This significantly worse ranking, they emphasize, is a result of the deepening crisis of media freedom in BiH, caused by a range of factors, including attempts by various levels of government to enact harmful regulations restricting freedom of expression, growing political pressure on journalists and media outlets, frequent verbal and physical attacks on journalists and media workers, and increasingly frequent attempts to hinder independent and investigative media reporting.

- In the first months of 2025, existing challenges have been further complicated by the increasingly difficult struggle of independent media for sustainable funding, in an increasingly complex international landscape. Our Mission stands today with the brave journalists across BiH who continue to do their important work under increasingly difficult circumstances. We have also had the honor of actively contributing to the establishment of a network of contact persons responsible for journalist safety in prosecutor's offices and ministries of internal affairs across BiH – stated the international organization.

In addition, this year, the OSCE is supporting two events marking World Press Freedom Day – the first in Tuzla on May 3rd in cooperation with the Association of Journalists of BiH, and the second in Zenica on May 7th with the BH Journalists Association. Later this month in Sarajevo, the Mission will co-organize the 10th Southeast Europe Media Conference, which will be held in Sarajevo, focusing on supporting media sustainability in the interest of building resilient societies.

The OSCE Mission in BiH calls on BiH leaders and institutions to take additional steps to protect journalists and media from intimidation and violence, to refrain from adopting legislative measures that restrict freedom of expression, and to create conditions for the development of independent, professional reporting, as free media are an essential prerequisite for democratic governance, accountability, and the protection of human rights, and an indispensable element of the country's overall security and stability.