17 March 2014

Republika Srpska main party, SNDS, has published a list of "unsuitable" media. The local and international reactions

The Association of BiH Journalists condemned the compilation by the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) - one of the ruling parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) – of a list of so-called "unsuitable" media, NGOs, independent journalists and intellectuals, labeled as "foreign mercenaries" and "destroyers of the constitutional order and existence of Republika Srpska (RS)."

The reaction came following the publication on the official website of the SNSD of the list, including media outlets BUKA, The Srpska Times, frontal.ba, frontal.rs, and abc.ba.

The Association of BiH Journalists pointed out that the people and organizations on the list are known for their critical attitude towards the government political structures in RS and SNSD's senior officials.

The OSCE Media Freedom Representative Dunja Mijatovic also criticised the existence of such list, stating that calling media "foreign agents" by politicians amounts to an attack against media freedom and could jeapordise the safety of journalists.

"This officially published list can also seriously endanger journalists’ safety, intimidate journalists and have a chilling effect on the media situation in general", Mijatovic pointed out in her statement.

Link: BH Novinari

 

This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso and its partners and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union. The project's page: Safety Net for European Journalists.A Transnational Support Network for Media Freedom in Italy and South-east Europe.