SafeJournalists Network condemns the pressures and expresses its full solidarity with the BH Journalists Association (BHJA) and freelance investigative journalist Anisa Mahmutović, who are facing defamation lawsuits alongside a sustained public campaign aimed at discrediting their professional work. The legal actions have been initiated by lawyer Mirnes Ajanović, founder and president of the Bosnian Party (BOSS).
Ajanović has initiated multiple legal proceedings and announced that he will file criminal complaints with prosecutors’ offices and law enforcement agencies against the BH Journalists Association, the association’s leadership, and Anisa Mahmutović. The events stem from testimony delivered on 11 May by investigative journalist Anisa Mahmutović and plural.ba editor-in-chief Adis Mujdanović before the Committee on the Fight Against Corruption of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In connection with their investigative reporting on alleged irregularities involving private universities, including the university where Ajanović is a lecturer. Shortly after the hearing, Mirnes Ajanović published a series of Facebook posts accusing the journalists of misleading the public and presenting incomplete information. The posts also included photomontages targeting both journalists.
On 13 May, Mahmutović publicly rejected the allegations and defended her professional integrity. The following day, BHJA issued a statement supporting the journalists in accordance with its mandate to defend media freedom and protect journalists. Following public responses by investigative journalist Anisa Mahmutović and the BH Journalists Association (BHJA), Mirnes Ajanović filed two defamation lawsuits before the Municipal Court in Tuzla. He alleged that false and unverified claims had harmed his reputation as a lawyer, lecturer, and public figure. He is seeking damages of 500 BAM, reimbursement of legal costs, and a court order requiring Mahmutović to publish a correction and the final judgment on her Facebook page. At the same time, Ajanović continued his public attacks, accusing Mahmutović and BHJA of ties to the Party of Democratic Action (SDA). BHJA President Marko Divković and General Secretary Borka Rudić were also targeted, with their photographs shared online.
SafeJournalists Network considers the combination of defamation lawsuits and coordinated public attacks to be a serious form of pressure on journalists and a threat to freedom of expression. Such actions risk discouraging investigative reporting on issues of significant public interest and contribute to an environment in which journalists may face harassment both online and offline. These two lawsuits appear to bear the hallmarks of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), as they risk discouraging legitimate reporting on matters of public interest and creating a chilling effect on investigative journalism.
We call for the Municipal Court of Tuzla to reject the lawsuits. The journalists in this case were undoubtedly reporting on matters of significant public interest and, as such, journalists and media organisations must be able to carry out their professional responsibilities without intimidation, reputational attacks, or abusive legal actions. We also urge an immediate end to the smear campaign directed at BHJA and Anisa Mahmutović.
SafeJournalists Network will continue to closely monitor the situation and stand with BHJA and Anisa Mahmutović in defending media freedom, independent journalism and the right to report on matters of public interest.
Every attack on journalists is an attack on democracy, the public interest, and fundamental human rights.
Pristina – Skopje – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Belgrade – Podgorica, 27 July 2026
Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Association of Journalists of Macedonia
BH Journalists Association
Croatian Journalists’ Association
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro
